


Into Duskwood

by nautilus_8532



Series: Duskwood Universe [1]
Category: Duskwood (Everbyte Video Game)
Genre: Duskwood, F/M, Hannah Donfort, Mentions of Suicide, PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:42:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 50,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26853898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nautilus_8532/pseuds/nautilus_8532
Summary: The Man Without a Face has made his move by attacking Jessy.Simply put, things aren’t going too well.I can only think of one solution. In order to lure the fishes, one must put the bait well.I’m going to Duskwood.
Relationships: Dan/Jessy/Richy, Jake/MC, Lilly/Dan/Jessy, Thomas/Hannah Donfort
Series: Duskwood Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077908
Comments: 114
Kudos: 204





	1. Opening Move

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first fanfiction. I'm astounded by the lack of fan work for the amazing mobile game that is Duskwood, so this is my attempt in making one. The story of Hannah's disappearance keeps me up at night, and that doesn't count the budding romance that our character has with Mr. Hacker, Jake ;) This short story takes after the events of Episode 6, so if you haven't played it yet, beware of the spoilers! My character's name here is Madeleine "Maddie" Closs, by the way. I hope you'll enjoy reading this short story!

I'm not sure where to go from here.

A lot of things happened since the attack on Jessy. For one, who would’ve thought that I would work with the person I hate the most nowadays – Lilly Donfort. From the first time I met her I already knew we will not get along well, but I didn’t mind it back then, because as they say, you should never judge a book by its cover. Also, I needed all the information I can get in order to find her missing sister, Hannah Donfort. She hasn’t been the most cooperative in that regard.

Many things have changed since she published that scandalous video, telling everyone that Jake and I are responsible for her sister’s disappearance. I am usually a very calm person, but after that I just want to punch her in the face for the outrageous lies she spouted off. To make matters worse, she wasn’t even sorry for it. Because of that, Jake has to go into hiding again, and wasn’t able to help me much in finding clues about Hannah’s disappearance.

Jake must be playing a cruel joke on me. Before he went M.I.A., he left a puzzle for Lilly and I to solve. What we accomplished after solving that puzzle is something I’d never expected - he is Hannah and Lilly’s half-brother. That is why he is so invested in finding Hannah. It's a secret that he kept well, and I doubt that even Hannah knows about it. Lilly was unsure how to accept it, but she thinks Jake had told her the truth.

To help Jake evade those hunting for him, Lilly thought we should put false traces of Jake in the internet, with the help of those who wanted to find Hannah. Lilly thinks that the false traces will mask Jake’s true location and give him enough time to escape and regroup.

Secondly, I now know that Phil and a certain "Alan" were at Hannah's phone log on the day she disappeared. Phil really seemed nice, unlike what Hannah's friends portrayed him to be, but still too nice for my comfort. I still feel that he's hiding something from me, I'm just not sure what it is yet. 

However, these new findings don't help us find Hannah. We still have an unsolved crime in our hands. The information I have is still inconclusive, there are still so many holes to plug and connections to be made, and the only person I trust to help me with this is currently off the radar.

The Man Without a Face has made his move by attacking Jessy.

Simply put, things aren’t going too well.

I can only think of one solution. In order to lure the fishes, one must put the bait well.

I’m going to Duskwood.


	2. Leaving for Duskwood

I find the internet to be one of the cleverest things that humankind has ever invented. I now see why Jake has a fascination for it. You can find information on even the most mundane of things, you’d think the internet holds the secret of the universe.

Except for Duskwood, apparently. There’s very little information in there about the area, not even an online reservation for accommodations. What I only gathered is that I have to take a four-hour drive from the airport in Frankfurt and Duskwood can be reached just outside the town of Furtwangen. I made notes about it in my journal, which also contains my observations and notes about this whole situation.

“Is Duskwood a blackhole or something? Why is there so little information about it?” I asked Emma, my childhood friend, as I leaned back lazily in my chair, looking at the ceiling as I try to remember the directions and calculate the travel duration.

She rolled her eyes at me while putting the artificial nails she bought online, sitting on my bedroom floor. “I really don’t understand why you have to go to that place. It isn’t your business! Since when have you cared about some kidnapping? You didn’t even mind it when George ran away and never came back after you played fetch with him.” She said resentfully.

I stood up in my seat, “Hey, that’s not fair! How long are you going to hold that against me?” George was Emma’s tabby cat. He went missing after I left the window open and accidentally threw his toy outside it in one of our playtime. The cat went after it and never came back. I’m not particularly fond of cats, but I don’t hate them much either to lure them away. “I even helped you go around town to post “MISSING” flyers and ask people, but we still haven’t found him.”

I closed my journal and put it inside the satchel containing my passport and other important documents. “Aside from that, George isn’t a person. Also, let’s face it, he’s been feeling stressful and neglected that time. Maybe he got tired of watching you snogging with your then boyfriend.”

She gasped, looking at me scandalized. “I can’t believe you just said that! George was my animal, just as much as you’re my person!” swinging a throw pillow in my direction. “You’re just worried about this hacker – what is his name again? – Jake!” she spat. I laughed at her jealousy and threw the pillow back at her. She dodged it easily.

I sat beside her on my bedroom floor, helping her put the remaining artificial nails. Thinking of Jake and his last message made me feel a bit sad. “I don’t even know where he is right now. He might not even be in Duskwood.” It pains me that I feel kind of stuck in the situation we’re in. Like there’s something holding us back.

I took a deep breath and focused on the task, “I just want to be more thorough and ask around the area, maybe they’ll be able to tell me something that might lead me closer to Hannah.”

“Are you sure that’s the best thing to do? You don’t know anyone in there. I’m just worried something might happen to you while you’re looking for her. What if this Man without a Face get to you? What if you went missing too?” she said, holding my wrist tighter than usual.

I gave her a small smile, “Nothing is going to happen to me. Also, have you forgotten we went to the same Judo class in middle school? I didn’t learn that shit for nothing!” I joked.

“Learning Judo and applying Judo are two different things.” She said, looking at me from head to toe. “Look at you. I don’t even think you can trip someone with that lithe body of yours.”

“Look who’s talking.” I retorted.

Emma decided to let the matter drop, holding her arms away to look at her new nails in perspective. “Have you prepared all your things?” she asked.

I inclined my head to the suitcase at the foot of my bed. “Yes, they’re all in there already. I don’t think I’ll be gone for more than two weeks, and if that even happens I’ll tell you ahead.”

“And the pills?” she asked nonchalantly.

“What pills?” I asked.

She let out a tired sigh and looked at me, “You’ll fail miserably in lying to the people in there.” I looked at her, still clueless on what she's talking about.

Her voice went a notch higher, “The PILLS? You’re telling me you’re about to meet this mysterious boyfriend of yours and you didn’t bring contraceptive pills? Is that intentional?”

It’s my turn to be scandalized. “It didn’t even cross my mind! And for the record, he’s not my boyfriend!”

She just looked at me with a blank expression on her face then shook her head, “I said it, you’ll fail miserably in lying.” She then looked for her purse and took a pack of pills, showing it to me. “You can thank me later.”

I was about to take it from her hand when she snatched my suitcase and put the pack in one of the pockets.

“Don’t you dare throw this away!” she warned as she gave me back my suitcase.

I shook my head, defeated, “I don’t even know why I’m friends with you and your dirty mind.” I said half-jokingly.

She raised her eyebrows, “I’m not the one who’s going to have a dirty mind when I meet my mysterious hacker. How long has it been since he contacted you? You know what they say – absence makes the heart grow fonder.” She winked.

I locked her head between my arm and put my other hand over her mouth, “I should wash your dirty mouth before I go.” I said, smearing her lipstick all over her face, laughing.

“Stop it, you’re ruining my make-up!” She shouted, trying to wrestle away from my grip. She went immediately to the bathroom to check my masterpiece.

“Let’s go before I miss my flight!” I shouted as I take my suitcase out the door.

“I’M NOT GOING OUT LIKE THIS MADELEINE CLOSS!” She shouted as I hear the sound of tissues being carelessly pulled out of the dispenser.


	3. Ms. Walter's Motel

It was early in the morning when I arrived at the airport in Frankfurt. I decided to have breakfast first at a café before proceeding to the car rental services and get the car I booked for the duration of my stay. I also asked for a map of the region, particularly the areas near Furtwangen.

“I hope you enjoy Furtwangen. There’s so much to see in that region, especially in Villingen-Schwenningen.” The attendant said. He looks like he’s in his early 50s.

I smiled at him as I scan the map he gave me, looking for Duskwood. “I am very fond of the outdoors. I like to see forests and lakes.” I showed him the map and pointed at Duskwood. “This place looks promising.” I said.

“Duskwood? That place is strange! You’re better off in the hiking trails near Furtwangen.” He said, pointing at the recommended areas.

I feigned innocence. Hopefully it’ll be convincing. “Really? How so?”

The attendant looked shocked that I didn’t seem fazed by his comment. “Well, it’s a small town, not many tourists frequent places like that.” He said, peeking at me like he’s trying to figure me out.

I nodded my head in understanding. “Ah, I see. It’s okay, aside from the outdoors, I also prefer to be away from people. I hate the noise.” I said as I fold the map and tuck it inside my satchel. “Thank you very much for your assistance.”

“Are you sure about that?” He asked concerned. “Oh well, what do I know about you kids these days. You’re all very nosy and brave.”

“Nosy?” I clarified.

He laughed nervously, “Oh, that’s nothing! I only meant to say that you’re all very curious about the world around you.” He then busied himself with the keys that he’s holding.

I smiled and said, “I’ll be careful, if that’s what you’re worried about.” winking at him. It seemed to calm him a little bit. I opened the car door, sat behind the wheel and said, “I’ll be back in two weeks!” putting the keys in the ignition and starting the car.

I watched him from my side-view mirror, a concerned look never leaving his face as he fade into the horizon.

oooOOOooo

I arrived in Duskwood at around 9am, after almost four hours of driving. I went directly to the motel indicated in the map Jake gave me.

The motel has two floors, each floor with ten rooms. The garden looks nice and is accessible for those who stay in the ground floor. A boy was playing in a puddle of mud near the doorway. I ignored him as I carry my suitcase into the steps and enter the reception.

“Hi, good morning.” I said to the lady in the reception desk. “I’d like to book a room for two weeks?” This woman looks like she’s at her late 40s. Her straight, short, black hair is neatly tucked at the back of her ears, framing her round face. There’s a mole on the left side of her upper lip and on the right side of her face near the nose. Her gray eyes looked tired and worried. She carries herself just fine, pearls hanging from her ears and neck.

She gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Hi. I’m Ms. Walter, manager of this motel. I see you’re staying quite long. Are you visiting many tourist spots in the area? You’re quite far from the popular places.” She said as she gives me the guest information form.

So this is Ms. Walter. I guess the kid outside is her son, Alfie, the one who allegedly saw Hannah being taken by the Man Without a Face.

“Oh, I haven’t decided on that yet. I just wanted to find a place that’s away from the crowd.” I said nonchalantly. “I’m not that very good with people.” I said as I signed my name at the end of the form. MC, short for Maddie C., and hand it back to her. I figured I shouldn’t use my full name here because people in Duskwood might recognize it. Now that I think about it, maybe I should sue Lilly for releasing my private information online. It is quite an inconvenience, especially when I’m trying to work incognito.

She seemed to believe me. “Oh, I see.” She looked at the sheet of paper, smiled again at me, then indicated my room number in the form. She took some room keys from the key rack attached to the wall behind her. “Here are your keys, Ms. Maddie. Please don’t lose this key as it’s the only set we have at the moment. It’s unfortunate but I haven’t seen the spare key for that room since last fall, and I haven’t had the time to get a replacement key, yet, with the guests coming and going.”

I nodded my head in agreement, looking at the brass key with a tag numbered 8 and thanking her for her assistance. She held her hand out, pointing me to the corridors. “Rooms 1 to 5 are on your left, 6-10 on your right. Complimentary breakfasts are served by 7am, and the WiFi password is written at the back of the guestroom phone.”

“Alright, thank you.” I said to her as I pulled my suitcase.

“Enjoy your stay here in Duskwood, Miss Maddie.” She said, her voice a bit lower and stronger than before, making it sound a bit ominous. I smiled politely and turned to the right of the corridor, heading for my room.

oooOOOooo

Room Number 8 is quite nice, I must say. The door opens with the bathroom on the right side and the cabinets and drawers on the left. Beside the cabinet is a modest luggage rack. A queen-sized bed is backed to the right wall, separated from the bathroom. A long work table is at the left wall opposite of the bed. A coffee table is also at the end of the room near the sliding doors which opens to the garden outside. The sliding doors are draped by two-layered, floor-length draw curtains, one of which is blackout for nighttime use.

I placed my suitcase at the end of the work table and sat down at the foot of the bed. The birds chirping and the chill of fall makes me feel sleepy, but I shook myself awake. I’ve so many things to do today.

I set my satchel at the coffee table and took my journal out. Today I should be able to go around town without sounding the alarm to the group. They mustn’t know yet that I’m already here. How long I can keep it a secret is determined by how fast word travels around Duskwood. And that is not a lot of time. 

I realized I haven’t got a clue on where to start in my search for Hannah. I can’t go directly to the police station. An outsider like me asking for information about a missing person will definitely make me suspicious.

So I decided to start at the library. I am hoping to find more information about the Legend of Duskwood. Surely, there are other related works about the legend apart from the book, "Midnight in Duskwood", wouldn't it? .

I returned the journal inside the satchel and start to head out, when I noticed a familiar roof not far from where I’m staying.

Is that the Dare House?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! We've arrived in Duskwood! :D For reference, I'm using Furtwangen as a landmark, also as a nod to the developers. All other places are same as they were in the story. Meanwhile, I based Ms. Walter's features from the older Regina Tiedemann (Netflix' Dark), because she also manages a hotel in that show. ;) I'm not very good in describing facial features, so please excuse me. 
> 
> Comments are most welcome! :)


	4. The Duskwood Library

Yes, that roof seems familiar.

I was looking at the dare house for a long time, thinking about the story Richy told me - the dare of the Duskwood boys. It seems like a usual play for children, but honestly, I’d be scared out of my wits too if I’d be forced to do it at such a young age. Kids have overly active imaginations than adults, and scary stuff like this might leave a lasting effect on their memories.

I was startled by the sound of my message ringtone. It was Emma.

**E M M A**

Hey, did you make it okay?

Is hacker boy there?

Have you used the pack already?🤭

I'm alive, thanks for asking.

Negative

NUNYA. 

  


My phone pinged again after a while.

**E M M A**

NUNYA?🤨

Google it.

You’re a dick.🖕

No, I'm a vagina.

Thankfully they haven't got an emoji for that, yet.

You're up early??

The early bird catches the worm.

IYKWIM 😎😎

  


I made a disgusted face on my phone.

**E M M A**

UGH. I get it. Go away, then. 

👋👋👋

  


I put my phone back to my jacket pocket and started to head out to the dare house.

I met Alfie out in the front yard, playing with his toy truck. I approached carefully and crouched beside him.

“That’s a nice truck.” I said, giving him a small smile. He looked at me inquisitively.

“This is mine.” He said, taking the toy closer to him.

I never had a charming effect on kids. I’m not sure why, but right now I have to think of something to salvage this conversation. I reached into my pockets and found some chocolate bars from the café at the airport. I handed one to him. “Of course, it is yours, along with this.”

He looked at the chocolate bars and his face lit up like Christmas. “How did you know I like chocolates?” He took the snack from my hand and opened it immediately.

Actually, I remembered Jessy mentioning something similar to that, but the kid doesn’t have to know it. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like chocolate.” I said, smiling.

“I know someone.” Alfie said while munching on the chocolate. “He lives at the house beyond the forest path.” He continued, pointing to the dirt path going to the dare house.

I’m starting to think that Alfie is being honest all along, especially when he likes a person. “Well, they’re missing out on a lot, aren’t they?” I got up, looking at the dirt path. “Shall I check it out for you?”

Alfie shrugged, licking the chocolate stuck on his teeth. “He’s a vampire. He doesn’t like the light.”

I laughed a bit, “Doesn't he? Should I be scared?”

“ALFIE!” I heard a shout from the motel steps. It’s Ms. Walter. Alfie put the remaining chocolate in his pocket and picked up his toy truck.

“He says chocolate’s bad for your teeth.” Alfie said as he walked to his mother quickly. I bowed my head slightly at Ms. Walter’s direction, acknowledging her presence and returning her signature tight-lipped smile. When they disappeared into the motel, I made my way to the dirt path.

********

It’s one of those blasted days again. I haven’t gotten a wink of sleep and all the people around this place want to do is to spook themselves with cheap dares. I was awakened by the loud knock at my door. I looked at my wristwatch and cursed silently - it’s just a quarter past 9am. Shouldn’t they be doing this at night? Or they just don’t care anymore?

I buried my face into the makeshift pillow I’m lying into to drown the sounds, but what caught my attention was the shout that followed the knock.

“HEY YOU, JUTE BAG BOY! IF YOU’RE IN THERE, COME OUT AND FACE ME, YOU COWARD!” It was a woman’s voice. I was startled when the knocks became stronger. She must be kicking the door. I sat up in my bed, listening intently.

When everything calmed down, I peeked into the small hole in my window, trying to get a good look at the feisty woman trying to take down an old hut’s door. She was re-aligning the satchel on her shoulder as she walked away from the hut, soft curls of her long, black hair swaying lightly. She’s wearing a gray scarf and a dark brown anorak jacket, dark blue denim jeans and brown ankle boots. It looked like if the hut door was as frail as it was before, she would’ve definitely wrecked it.

I shook my head in disbelief. Duskwood must be getting popular.

********

After letting off steam at the dare house, I went back to the motel’s parking lot to get my car and drove to the library to get information.

Duskwood’s library is like a renaissance painting. Outside, it looks like an old church, but the inside looks like a scholar’s library, the old books and the new neatly arranged in shelves that span until the end of the corridor.

I went to the front desk to ask right away. I was greeted by a man in his late 50s, a sturdy frame that seemed to have roamed the halls of the library quite frequently. A name plate is placed on the desk, written: MARTIN ROTH – Library Administrator.

He started by saying, “Oh look, new face! What is it this time? Werewolves?”

I laughed nervously, “No, I’m actually looking for the legend of the man without a face? Was that already taken?”

He laughed back at me, “Unfortunately, two other women already went in here before you, asking for the same book. They all left empty-handed. That book was taken out and overdue for two weeks already. What is it about the man without a face that attracted you?”

I shrugged, “Attraction is not a word I would use to describe it. It was just part of the requirements for my subject. Are there any other literatures of the same nature?” I inquired further.

He shook his head. “Sadly, no.” He then called the woman at the end of the booth. “Hey Alica, remember your friend, Jessy? Wasn’t she looking for the same book before?”

Alica stood up from her seat and went to us in the front desk. “Yes, she did.” She then looked at me, “Do you want to hear a story about the man without a face?”

I nodded, unsure what to make of it.

“My friend Jessy has a friend currently in the hospital because of him. The word around is that he had an accident, apparently driving drunk. However, the police went to him when he woke up, and he said that his brakes might have been tampered with.” She nodded slowly, like I was supposed to understand what exactly happened.

“But what does the man without a face have to do with it? Did anybody see it around the area that day?” I asked, looking confused. I already know this story. I just needed another perspective.

They both looked at me like I’m a lunatic. “Nobody in here asks if they’ve seen the man without a face roaming the area, of course! He just pops out whenever he wants.” Alica said.

Ah, people in small towns. Always so superstitious. This conversation will go nowhere, it seems. I smiled politely and changed the subject. “Where is your friend’s friend now?”

“He’s recuperating at the hospital just outside of town.” I looked uninterested, thanked them for the chat and headed straight to the door.

“Welcome to Duskwood!” Mr. Roth said as I closed the door behind me.

It’s bad manners to not visit and wish for the wellness of a sick friend, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you think is there at the Dare House? ;)


	5. Dan in the Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than the others, that's because I loved the conversations with Dan. I feel like he'll be a good but annoying older brother, so that was the rapport I tried to establish here.
> 
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated! :)

Flowers aren’t really my thing. I remembered I promised to send some to Dan when he first conversed with us after he had the accident, but I haven’t been able to do that. So, before I went there, I dropped by the flower shop that Dan used to work for, and they gave me a bouquet of chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, and peonies. I also bought cheesecake slices and tea for Dan at Rainbow Café, while I got my coffee fix with a cup of latte macchiato.

The hospital is very easy to find. It really is just outside of town. I parked my car and headed to the main entrance. I walked up to the information desk and asked for Dan’s room number.

“Hi, a friend of mine got into an accident and was confined here two weeks ago. I was wondering if you could give me his room number?” I asked the receptionist.

He began clicking at his computer for records. “Name, please.”

“It’s Dan – ", I paused, trying to remember his surname. “Anderson. Dan Anderson.” I said and glanced at his computer as he typed. Another visitor came to ask directions. As I waited, I thought I needed to thank Poke for that.

“He’s staying in Room 928. Ninth floor, the second to the last room on your left.” He said politely and attended to the person who came after me. I thanked him then continued to the elevator.

There are not so many people on the 9th floor. Even the nurses’ station only has three people who were all busy in attending to their charts and preparing medicines for the patients. I went to the lounge area first to prepare my surprise for Dan.

I took my phone and started typing:

**D A N**

What's up?

DAN IS NOW ONLINE

Hey, you. Are you as bored as I am?!

I’ve been trying to get past this level of match-three game.

Nothing gives.😤

I have to wait for my lives to fill up again.😫

Who do you want to see right now?🤔

Why would I want to see anyone right now?

Aren’t you bored 😩

Well, I know how to entertain myself.😏

Ugh, maybe I shouldn’t have asked after all.

😆😜

Hmmm. Let's see.

Jessy?

  


I sighed. Of course, he would want to see Jessy. Why did I even ask?

**D A N**

That's a given already. Who else?

Cleo??

I could really use a cake right now.

Food here's killing me. 

  


I rolled my eyes. This is going to take long. He could name us one by one and I’d still be at the bottom of the list. And I don’t want to wait and drink my coffee cold. I held the door handle and opened the door.

“You really don’t want to see me, huh?” I looked at him in disgust.

The smirk on his face faded as he looked up on his phone to me. The shock is visible in his eyes as he gaped at me, looked back at his phone, then back at me again.

“Maddie?” He asked slowly. “You’re Maddie?”

I laughed, setting the food and flowers at the table beside him. “Yes, I’m Maddie. Nice to meet you Mr. Anderson.” I said, holding out my hand. He shook it gently, still unsure if I’m the real thing.

“Aren’t you going to offer me a seat?” I asked, still amused at the shock written all over his face.

He laughed at me. “Ah, yes, of course! How rude of me!” He gestured at the seats near the bed. “I was imagining someone nerdier.” He said, eyeing me from head to toe. I raised an eyebrow at that. “How did you know where to find me? Is this one of your Maddie things?”

I made a face at him. “I didn’t know there’s a name for the things I do.” I said as I opened the box of cheesecake slice, gave him the disposable fork, then took a sip of my coffee.

He held out the cheesecake slice, “See? Maddie things.” He said, smirking as he took a bite off the cheesecake. He made a satisfied sigh. “I miss eating real food.”

I smiled at him as I took a bite off my cheesecake slice. “You make the food here seem so bad.” I said as I looked out the door or the nurses might overhear. “How’s it coming along?” I asked as I looked at all the wires and tubes attached to him.

He took another helping of the cheesecake before saying, “I’m this close to searching the internet on how to escape from the hospital in a wheelchair.” He paused, pointing the fork at me. “That’s the reason you’re here! Bust me out right now! Use your Maddie skills.”

“Please stop calling it like that, it’s making me self-conscious. Besides, we wouldn’t even make it three feet downstairs – even with a diversion, there are guards posted at the main entrance and the emergency room. I’d say we use the emergency exits, but you obviously can’t walk well.”

He looked at me incredulously. “I’m not sure if I should be amazed or scared at how fast you thought about it.” He finished eating his cheesecake. “Why are you here, anyway? Don’t tell me you’ll go looking for the feathered dumbass?”

I smirked at him. He’s quite perceptive, after all. “Is this your Dan skills coming through?” He laughed, sipping the tea I bought. “Not for jute bag boy, exactly. I just figured out I can’t put it off any longer. Hannah felt I’d help in this situation, so I must make haste. We can’t let jute bag boy scare us away.”

“Jute bag boy.” He muttered, suppressing a laugh.

We’re sipping our drinks in silence when Dan’s phone rang.

Dan smoothed the hair away from his face before answering. “Hey, how are you?”

I made an inquiring look at him. He mouthed the word, “Mom”.

“Yeah, this is actually a bad time, Mom. I’m flirting with a beautiful lady right now.” I threw a crumpled tissue paper at him that he dodged swiftly. Her mother’s response was so loud Dan had to put the phone away from his ears. “Of course, it’s not one of the nurses, they’re all bearded!”

I held a hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing out loud. I finished eating my cheesecake and coffee as they carried on with their conversation. After a moment, his mother hung up.

Dan scratched his ear after the call. “My mother’s quite a loud talker.” He put his phone on the overbed table and sipped his tea again.

“How’s her knee, by the way?” I asked without thinking. We both looked at each other, shocked.

“How did you know about that?” he asked. “You also know my surname, even when I never mentioned it.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you stalking me?”

I shook my head in disbelief. “Please get over yourself. Cleo mentioned it to me when you had an argument with her about your mother participating in the forest search.” I paused, thinking about his surname. I can’t exactly tell him that I know about Poke, so I had to make something up. “As for your surname, it was mentioned at the information desk downstairs when I asked for your room number. Happy now?”

He inclined his head to a little, accepting my response. “You really remember even the smallest things, it’s kind of scary.”

I decided to change the subject before he even ventured to other topics. “Speaking of which, what do you think about Phil?”

He smoothed the blanket over his stomach, “Phil? Why? Did you talk to him?”

I pulled out the phone from my pocket, looking for my conversation with Phil. I sit up on his bed to show the messages. “Yes. Remember Hannah’s call log? He’s on the list. What’s weird is that Hannah called him, not the other way around. Are they friends?”

Dan shrugged. “I am not that close to Hannah, so I wouldn’t know. We all just know Phil because he owns the Aurora and he’s Jessy’s half-brother.” He held a hand to his chin, thinking. “I can’t think of a reason why Hannah would call him. They’re not that friendly with each other. Unless they know each other privately.”

“Why is it always implied that Hannah flirted with every guy she meets that’s not part of this group?” I asked, annoyed. “Was she really like that?”

“No, but what else should we think of, if not that? Dan said defensively.

“Well, for one, they maybe sharing something not everyone can know or at the very least they’re related by a circumstance –“

I stopped, struck by a sudden realization. “Dan, you’re a genius, I could kiss you!” He sat up straight on the bed, getting himself ready. I waved a finger defensively. “But not really.” He rolled his eyes at that.

“This is interesting. Maybe I should pay Phil a visit.” I said, still thinking about that realization. Maybe Phil, Allan, and Hannah knew each other, Phil just doesn't want to tell me? Could this be related to Jennifer? I can hear the wheels in my head turning!

Dan took his phone from the table. “If you’re going to the Aurora, we should let everyone know. You can’t be there alone with Phil. I think you know why.” He said as he started typing.

I took his hand and snatched the phone away. “No, don’t tell anybody yet that I’m here!” he looked surprised, but instead of taking his hand away, he held mine tighter.

“You have soft hands.” He said. “But they’re small.”

I yanked my hand away and put it over his face, pushing it quite hard into the pillow. “Will you stop hitting on me?” I said. He then pushed my hand away.

“Okay, okay. No need to get physical in there.” He said, sitting up again on the bed. “And why do you not want me to tell the others that you’re here?”

I stood up, taking the satchel from the seat beside the bed. “I just need to gather my thoughts before I meet everyone. You’re an exception because you can’t be there physically.” I said to him. He looked happy with that.

“I love to be an exception.” He smirked. “You’re leaving?”

I rearranged the scarf on my neck before replying, “Yeah, I figured I should get some sleep and think about my next steps.” I looked back at him, my tone serious. “Do you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Of course. These lips are sealed.” He said, making a zipping motion with his fingers to his lips. “Are you still in contact with the hacker dude?”

I was taken aback by the question. I should answer that without giving him an idea that Jake is missing in action. “Every now and then. Why, are you still going to tell me to stay away from him?”

“Yes, that still stands.” He looked at me intently. “You already have a mystery in your hands with Hannah’s disappearance and the raven guy, you don’t need the hacker dude to add to that anymore.”

I thought about that for a while, then gave him a small smile. “Maybe I like mysterious things.” I winked at him and then proceeded to the door. “Get well soon, alright? You still owe me dinner at the Black Swan.”

He laughed. “Yeah, alright. But let’s eat somewhere else. The Black Swan doesn’t exactly evoke good memories.”

“Sure.” I nodded. “I’ll call you when I get back at the motel.” I said, closing the door behind me.

“Stay away from hacker dude!” he shouted.


	6. We meet at last

Hiding and always looking over your shoulder for threats can be very exhausting. I know I chose this way of life, but sometimes I miss going out there without care for the world.

I thought about the things I would do once I am free of this prison situation. I’d eat all the things I’ve been craving lately, walk around and get some sunshine, maybe have some drinks at a local bar with someone I like. That’s something I keep looking forward to. But right now, I have to keep up with basic decency. I could really use a hot shower.

This hut doesn’t provide anything except for shelter. It hasn’t been used for a long time, but is still acceptable for those who are seeking a safe space to hide. I just had to make sure to keep the lock in place every time I venture out. It doesn’t help that curious, thrill-seeking teenagers come here late at night to do some old dare. Sometimes even full-grown adults, it’s just ridiculous.

I checked the vicinity of my hiding place before locking the door and walked to the back entrance of the motel’s kitchen, where Old Gray waits for me.

People around the motel don’t really care about Old Gray. He’s a constant presence in the area, his heavyset form always dressed in that dark blue overalls, as he does his daily tasks in keeping the motel clean and livable. He always keeps to himself even when pruning the garden, or even attending to Ms. Walter’s son. The motel doesn’t look like much, but guests are always coming to the establishment for its cheaper price.

“A woman checked in that room this morning. So, whatever it is that you have to do there, make it quick.” Old Gray said, handing me the keys for Room Number 8.

I knit my brows in confusion. “Why did Ms. Walter put her there? I thought we made that room unusable for guests.” I asked.

Old Gray shrugged, unsure of Ms. Walter’s motives. “Maybe it’s the only room available. And she trusts that I can fix the problems in that room when needed. Anyway, the woman who checked in there seems to be fairly busy, so you don’t need to worry about being caught.” I wanted to suggest that he take me to another room but he added, “That’s the only room where the CCTVs are not working, and you wouldn’t want to be seen roaming the halls, would you? Just take a quick shower and go.”

He pushed my hand away so I can make haste, but grabbed my arm as I turned, eyes wide as if remembering something. “I had your clothes laundered, it’s in the topmost shelf of the cabinet. Hopefully, the woman hasn’t seen and thrown it out yet. Leave the clothes you worn neatly on the exact spot, and I’ll retrieve it later.” I nodded in agreement and headed to the direction of Room Number 8.

It was a quiet, brisk walk to the room. It was still early and a lot of guests are outside for tourist visits. As I opened the door, I was hit with the clean, rosy citrus scent of the guest’s perfume hanging in the air. That was a nice change from the musty, old wood smell of the dare house. I opened the cabinet to my left and found the package containing my clothes. It was the usual black hooded jacket, a dark blue cotton shirt, black hiking pants and my underwear. I took it with me to the bathroom and turned the shower on. I thought I heard the door open, but it may just be my tired brain hearing things so I ignored it and loosen the shower knob further.

After taking a much-needed shower, I returned the clothes I used back at the top shelf and closed the cabinet as quietly as I could. I was about to leave the room but I can’t help but wonder who the female guest is. I strode quickly to where her suitcase is at the end of the work table but was tackled to the ground by something strong. I tried getting up but the attacker was faster and more agile, holding me in a headlock.

I immediately recognized the rosy scent of her perfume. “Tell me who you are before I break your neck.” She breathed into my ear, panting as she tightened her hold. I held my hands in surrender, trying to calm myself. She sounded like she meant it.

“I can’t do that.” I told her as calmly as I could muster. “Or we are both in trouble.”

She held her grip tighter, angling my head a bit. I must admit I’m getting anxious by the minute. “The only one who’ll be in trouble here is you. Spit it out before you lose your breath.”

I can feel the pressure she’s exerting against my neck, and felt that if she held it any tighter I might pass out, so I blurted out, “Jake. My name is Jake.”

********

I can’t believe what I just heard.

I knew there was an intruder in my room the moment I entered it. It smelled of cold, winter morning mixed with the essence of body sweat, like someone who just came in from the gym. It’s not really unpleasant, just different.

My suspicions were confirmed the moment I saw a blur of black crossing the bathroom to the work table. Fortunately, he can’t see me from the space against the bathroom wall I’ve been hiding in, so I tackled him when he wasn't looking with all the strength I could gather.

He said he is Jake. It took me a little off guard, because that is the name I least expect to hear right now. I had to make sure he was telling the truth. I took him by the neck and pushed him against the nearest wall I could find. He didn’t put up a fight.

Holding up an arm against his neck, I exerted pressure on his windpipe. “You’re not Jake. He wouldn’t be here.” I said, looking directly into his blue eyes. His pupils widen when the realization of who I was dawned on him.

“Maddie?” He said, shocked. He was about to let his hands down but I exerted more pressure on his neck, his head lightly banging against the wall. He held up his hand again.

“If you’re Jake, tell me this.” I said, remembering one of our conversations. “What would I want to have the most in a deserted island?” It’s something only the two of us know.

He winced a little from my hold but managed to calmly answer, “Tools.” I didn’t let up for a moment, and then he added, “Mine was my computer, with power, internet and overall strong signal. You wanted to join me. I agreed.”

I released my hold on him and backed away as far as I could. I needed to take a good look at him. He held his neck, checking his breathing, the other hand checking his head for bumps. When he’s satisfied that everything is okay, he stared back at me.

I can’t believe it’s really him. His face is full of stubble. His wavy, chin-length hair with streaks of gray that frames his face. He looked tired, but all things considered, he looks fine.

I have the mind of turning the television on before any conversation. You never know who might be listening.

“You watch too many crime dramas.” He said, shaking his head. “May I sit down?” he gestured to the bed. I nodded.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I should ask you the same question.” He said, leaning his weight onto his lap, hands clasped together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! My babies have met yaaaaay. I'm cutting it here because I'll have to plan for this confrontation. Angst coming in the next chapter! ;)
> 
> I told you last time I'm not very good at describing facial features, so I'll link here my inspiration for Jake and Maddie.
> 
> [Jake](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eh1OwppXcAYlLkW.jpg)
> 
> [Maddie](https://celebsuburb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Instagram1.jpg)


	7. Tug of War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There has been a delay for this chapter, because honestly, I was stuck and I can't think of the right words for the emotions that I wanted to write. But I've solved it by listening to songs that I feel will match the vibe I wanted to go for. 
> 
> If you want to experience the same feeling in this chapter, here are the songs I listened to:
> 
> Say Goodbye - Katharine McPhee  
> Dancing with your Ghost - Sasha Sloan  
> Break My Heart Again - FINNEAS  
> Don't Watch Me Cry - Jorja Smith  
> Doesn't Mean Goodbye - Jon McLaughlin
> 
> Again, thank you for the patience and support! It keeps me motivated! Comments and kudos are most welcome! <3<3

This is the longest, most awkward silence in my entire existence.

I remained standing at the far end of the work table, my nerves still not catching up with the information in my brain and remaining in fight or flight mode. Jake, on the other hand, sat properly at the edge of my bed, his arms leaning on his lap, hands clasped together.

We’ve had awkward conversations before, so this is nothing new. However, at this moment when we finally see each other face to face, we are both speechless. Now that we are not mere digital imprints of our consciousness, we both don’t know where to start.

I am just taking in the sight of him in front of me, and oh, what a sight it is. I must admit, he isn’t that bad to look at – better than I expected, actually. Emma would be flipping over when she finds out about this. I can already hear her scream her lungs out the moment she knew. She’d be gushing over this mysterious, silver-haired hacker that made me travel all the way to Duskwood.

But none of those feelings rang true with what I’m feeling right now. This feeling of discomfort nags me from within - a feeling that there's unfinished business, unanswered questions.

My thoughts were interrupted when he started talking.

“You know I’m not very good with small talks.” He said, twiddling his thumbs just to have something to do. “So, I’ll say this to you the way I talk in our conversations.”

I took a deep breath, nodding silently.

He looked up at me, those deep blue eyes mirroring nothing. “This is a mistake. You coming here.”

His words made me stiffen where I stand. I was expecting a different reaction from him. I thought he’d be happy to see me. It made me feel defensive.

I snorted, sneering at him. “Thank you for the vote of confidence.” I closed my fist so hard, my knuckles turned white. “You should’ve thought of that before you left a cryptic message telling me that Hannah’s life is now in my hands.”

“Why are you being sarcastic about this? I just said what I thought you should hear at this moment.” He said, oblivious to the effect of his words. “Yes, I left that message, because I trust you to make the right choices and find Hannah, but not to this extent!” He looked irritated, his voice raised a bit.

I looked away from him, shaking my head in disbelief. “You always say you trust me, but your actions keep saying otherwise.” I looked at him accusingly. “Instead of talking to me directly, you left a puzzle to solve to someone I trust the least and let me be involved with it. You say you’ll tell me everything I need to know, but when that time comes I always find that I’m the last to know about it.” I stepped forward one step, intent on making my point clear. “And now, you tell me to make my own decisions, and when I make one, you tell me it’s wrong?”

He stared at me, frustration showing on his face. If there’s something to notice about seeing Jake face to face, it’s that he’s not one to back down in an argument. “Trust is not the issue here, Maddie. It’s your actions. Have you ever considered that the Man without a Face could be luring you into coming here? Do you see how dangerous that is? Or you just don’t care?”

But then again, neither am I. “Of course, I thought about it! How could I not? He just attacked Jessy in front of my eyes! Never mind whether it’s staged or not, he just showed that he can do more, and if I don’t take a more proactive measure, who knows what he would do next? If he’s chasing me, at least I know he’s not trying to harm anybody else.” I argued. “I always trusted you to take the steps you feel are necessary, even when I don’t understand them. I trusted you when nobody else did, and all I want is that you give me that same level of trust, or is that too much to ask?” I’m not one to shed tears during an argument, but I feel so frustrated that I can’t keep them from welling up.

He looked into my eyes, trying to see the depth of my feelings, but still adamant about his beliefs. “I can understand your frustration, but I hope you also know that I’m doing this for your protection.” he said. After a while he looked to the door, hesitating. “I have to go, I’ve already spent too much time. Will you promise me something? Please tell Lilly that you’re here. I know she’s put us in a bind with what she did, but she’s still my half-sister. She will keep you safe.”

I turned away from him, looking at the dare house through the sliding glass door. I didn’t want to see him leave again. It already hurt when he said goodbye through cryptic messages or just completely disappearing. Now that he’s physically here, it hurts even more.

I hear the doorknob turning, but before he closed the door, I gathered my courage, my voice trembling, “It's not protection that I need, Jake, it's your support.”

I can feel him hesitate, but after a while I hear the door close gently. I close my eyes, letting the tears that welled up pour.

********

That was not what I expected, at all.

I went back to the Dare House, trying to think of my next move, considering that Maddie is here. When I realized that it was her, all thoughts left my body and I just wanted to hold her in my arms to feel that she’s real. Somehow, I could feel her hesitation – that there’s something holding her back, even when I’m already in front of her.

I wanted to tell her that I totally understand where she’s coming from. It’s easy to feel unsure of your decisions when no one believes in your ability to make them. But I must impress upon her how dangerous being in Duskwood is for her. I know it because I’ve been in that situation before, and it’s not pleasant. Alas, the very first meeting with someone I actually like, and it was a complete disaster.

 _It's not protection that I need, Jake, it's your support._ That statement ran through my head over and over again, and I realized that maybe I’ve failed her in that aspect. Maybe I should have asked her plan first? I held my head in defeat, thinking of ways to make amends.

Five gentle taps on the door of the dare house alerted me to Old Gray leaving a package. We made that signal so I can differentiate him from the children doing the blasted dare. I went to the door, opening it slightly. I noticed a paper bag of what must be food from the motel. It was still warm. Inside was a note, written in Old Gray’s writing.

_I’m not sure how she knew about us, but she called for me after you left and ordered some food. She said to take it to the vampire in the Dare House. She must’ve heard it from Alfie._

_P.S. Just an advice from an old man, whatever argument you had with her, rectify it immediately. She looks tough, but she has a soft spot for you._

**_Don’t let that go._ **


	8. Histories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify, this chapter is based from Old Gray's point of view.
> 
> Happy reading! <3

A lot of people call Duskwood a strange place, but it wasn’t as strange as it is today.

It is a small, peaceful community that loves people. Yes, we do keep to ourselves, but we’re not averse to tourists or visitors coming in. We adapt to change as much as we value our heritage. Kids back then can stroll however long they want in the woods, get home with bruises here and there, come with their friends tired but happy. People used to go camping and star gazing, they even organize meet-ups for astronomical events.

Until that day, three decades ago, when a woman was found dead in the woods. For a community as small as ours, news of a dead woman in the woods spreads like wildfire and instills fear in superstitious hearts of many, children and old people alike.

I remember the day Anna came to Duskwood. She was a young woman studying Humanities at Hochschule Furtwangen University, in an era when women are still less likely to begin higher education. She was with child at the time, but still goes to school and came to Duskwood looking for a job to earn more. She told me that the kid’s father was born here in Duskwood, but never took responsibility for their child. Despite those circumstances, she wanted the kid to live here peacefully. Just like her mother, Jake was a perceptive, little kid that loves the outdoors. His blue eyes glow in curiosity even on complex things such as clockwork and was always happy to help out in the motel by carrying fresh towels to guests who need it.

One day, Anna told me that she’ll be leaving town for a while to check out a job posting in Furtwangen, asking that I take care of Jake. I readily agreed with it, since Jake is easy to care for. I asked her what kind of job posting it is, and she mentioned a study that requires participants to have a certain type of eye color. She’ll be working there as an assistant, considering her knowledge of humanities and human behavior.

Anna never came back, until that news of the dead woman found in the woods near the lake. I wanted to report to the police the things that I knew about the days prior to her death, but was afraid of being implicated with it, since we are not related. Afraid for Jake’s safety as well, I took him to a brother of mine in Frankfurt and asked him to raise the kid. I visit him every once in a while.

It dawned on me, that something strange is happening in Duskwood, a decade after Anna’s death. It was because of the death of that woman, Jennifer. I thought the police were going to take care of it and find out a connection to Anna’s death, but years passed and it was all forgotten.

Today, it is Jake’s half-sister, Hannah, that’s missing. I knew about that secret when Jake, when he was still a kid, showed me a picture of his mother and another man. _That’s my Papa_ , he’ll say with that cute voice of his. I recognized his face and knew immediately who he was. Marcus Donfort, who grew up to be the town’s engineer.

Now, here comes this woman, Maddie. She reminds me of Anna, with that determined, brown eyes of hers. Her connection to Jake or any of this, I’m not sure of, but I hope she doesn’t end up like them. Whatever happens, I hope she comes out of this alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's take a break from Jake/MC and talk about a little backstory! The game wasn't clear about this part yet, except for the Legend of the Man Without A Face, but I tried to knit all of these together and make a storyline that will be cohesive at the end.
> 
> I will not be tired of saying this, so again, thank you for your support! :)


	9. On the Move

I planned to take a nap just to relax and keep my emotions in check, but my thoughts keep going back to Jake.

After he left my room, I thought of all the possibilities of him being here and only one came to mind – he must be the vampire in the Dare House described by Alfie the last time we spoke. He called the person in the Dare House a vampire, not the Man Without a Face. How could I miss that?

Upon realizing it, I called for Old Gray, asking him to have some food prepared. Only two persons can help Jake get into the motel without getting noticed – Ms. Walter and Old Gray. Ms. Walter definitely didn’t know anything about the missing spare key of Room Number 8, so it must be the caretaker, Old Gray. When he came back with the food, I told him to send it to the vampire at the Dare House. His surprised reaction told me that my hunch was right. I didn’t bother to ask him any more questions that moment. I’m too tired for interrogations. I gave him a small smile and closed the door gently behind me.

So here I am lying in my bed. I should be angry with him but instead I worry if he’s eaten, or if he’s planning to leave Duskwood real soon. I threw my pillow in frustration, wondering how meeting Jake could turn me into this person whose thoughts are all over the place. I decided to re-channel that frustration by focusing with the matter at hand – my next steps in finding Hannah.

I’ve decided to do this on my own, but I still need Jake to know about my plans, in case things doesn’t go the way I planned. But I just can’t knock on the Dare House and chat with him, right? I can’t send him a text message, either. I’m not sure if he’ll be able to read it.

Taking a pen and piece of paper from the desk drawer, I started writing a coded message for him, in case it gets to the wrong hands:

**ITTOHDLN FHMOTIAD OYEMPSNO KOABMCSO**

**AUTYWUTR YMMEISAM WEYILSPD IERGLPOE**

I rolled the sheet of paper close and wrote a number in front: **8.** Hopefully, he’ll be able to decipher that without problems.

Motivated to move on with the investigation, I took the satchel from the coffee table, taking out the notebook containing all of my observations, the documents and pictures we got from Hannah’s cloud and Thomas’ info, and the profiles of Hannah’s friends. I taped all of them in the wall so I can see them even when sitting down at my bed.

Satisfied with my work, I reached for the phone inside my bag and texted the other person who needs to know that I’m here: Lilly.

**L I L L Y**

Hey, are you there?

Yeah what's up?

Jake made contact with you yet?

  


I’m not sure if I should tell her the truth. Jake’s still on the run, and I don’t know how long he’ll be here in Duskwood.

**L I L L Y**

No. Not yet.

Listen

Meet me at Rainbow Café by 4pm.

Wait

What??

You're here in Duskwood?? 

Yes

Don't tell anyone else.

I'm going now.

  


It’s 3:30pm on my phone - plenty of time to walk to the café. I returned the phone back into my satchel, checked myself in the mirror, and headed out. I looked out for strangers first before taking the path to the Dare House.

I wanted to knock on the door, but I’m not sure if he’s there. You really can’t see inside the Dare House, but the door has this little slit, just enough for me to insert the sheet of paper containing my message. I take one last look at the Dare House before going back to the motel’s parking lot and into Rainbow Café.

********

Lilly arrived at the café just a little past 4pm. She doesn’t know what I looked like, so I waved a hand when I recognized her coming. She looks just like she did on that cursed video of hers, it’s bringing back bad memories and emotions. _This meeting should be civil,_ I reminded myself. Sipping the cup of coffee I bought from the café and taking a deep breath, I made myself ready to meet her.

She took a long look at me first before sitting down at the chair I offered. I stared back at her.

“Coffee?” I offered, just to start the conversation.

She shook her head, saying, “No, I’m good.” She looked around the café, probably making sure that the Gossip Queen, Mrs. Sully is not around or that no one is looking at us, then continued. “You shouldn’t be here.”

I guess she and her half-brother got that in common. Sipping my coffee again, I said, “Jake would probably agree with you.” I put the cup back at the saucer before continuing. “Lilly, this can’t go on any longer. Every time we waste endangers Hannah’s life even more. I cannot let any of you go into the woods, so I’ll have to do it myself.”

Before she can protest, I added, “I know I’m also risking Hannah’s life by going into the woods, that’s why I’m asking you to keep this between you and me.” I looked at her seriously. “I’m going to meet everyone, but only the two of us will know that I’m going to the woods to investigate. Can you promise not to tell?”

She smirked, “You keep asking that as if you don’t trust me.”

“I have good reasons not to trust you. However, Jake wanted me to, and I realized I should trust someone in the group if I want to find Hannah.” I argued.

She leaned back into the chair, her arms crossed over her chest, looking at me for a long while. I think she’s thinking about trusting me, too, but I can’t be sure.

“Why me? How is it different from trusting Jessy, for example?” She asked.

I looked up to my right while trying to think of the words to say. “The others have already proved their capability to lie to me many times, and they always come up with excuses when I catch them. Also, I’m not really that type of person who keeps all of her eggs in one basket. You might ask why I’m not suspecting you of the crime. Initially I did, because you were so distant, and don’t want anything to do with me. After some time, I figured that you don’t have any reason to do that to your sister, and the story of the Man Without a Face looks ridiculous to you, so I’m eliminating you from my list of suspects. I guess you’re just an irritating source of information.”

“You’re still mad at me, aren’t you? I can tell.” She said, smiling shyly. “Well, I appreciate your honesty. What I did to you and Jake was not easy to forgive, and I guess the only way to make amends is to cooperate.” We nodded in agreement. “But I will not be ordered around easily, do you hear? I will tell you if I think you’re making a crazy decision and I will not sugarcoat anything, okay?” she added.

“I expect nothing less from you.” I said, getting up from my seat. “I’ll go first. You’ll hear from me from time to time.”

“I’ll inform you if I hear anything. Take care, Maddie.” She said as I walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder if you can also solve the little puzzle I made for this chapter? 
> 
> Hints: columns; cipher
> 
> Comment down below your answer! :)


	10. Next Steps

She never fails to surprise me.

Staying off the grid while trying to infiltrate the world wide web is not an easy task. I need to make sure that I don’t leave a trace of my presence or else my pursuers will be able to track me like a hound following the scent of its prey.

I was distracted from my work when I saw that little piece of paper come out from under the door. I didn’t immediately pick it up, as always, just to make sure that whoever it is that left it has already gone. Ignoring it, I went back to what I was doing and only remembered it after a long while, when it feels like it’s almost begging to be noticed. I stood up from my seat and took it from the floor, curious of what the little thing is.

The paper was folded neatly with the number 8 written in the middle. Upon opening, I saw the writings and immediately thought of it as a coded message.

ITTOHDLN FHMOTIAD OYEMPSNO KOABMCSO

AUTYWUTR YMMEISAM WEYILSPD IERGLPOE

Eight words, each with eight letters. I typed all of it in a word pad, and tried stacking them in rows. No one would spend time sending me a coded message such as this but Maddie.

**I**

| 

**T**

| 

**T**

| 

**O**

| 

**H**

| 

**D**

| 

**L**

| 

**N**  
  
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
**F**

| 

**H**

| 

**M**

| 

**O**

| 

**T**

| 

**I**

| 

**A**

| 

**D**  
  
**O**

| 

**Y**

| 

**E**

| 

**M**

| 

**P**

| 

**S**

| 

**N**

| 

**O**  
  
**K**

| 

**O**

| 

**A**

| 

**B**

| 

**M**

| 

**C**

| 

**S**

| 

**O**  
  
**A**

| 

**U**

| 

**T**

| 

**Y**

| 

**W**

| 

**U**

| 

**T**

| 

**R**  
  
**Y**

| 

**M**

| 

**M**

| 

**E**

| 

**I**

| 

**S**

| 

**A**

| 

**M**  
  
**W**

| 

**E**

| 

**Y**

| 

**I**

| 

**L**

| 

**S**

| 

**P**

| 

**D**  
  
**I**

| 

**E**

| 

**R**

| 

**G**

| 

**L**

| 

**P**

| 

**O**

| 

**E**  
  
Once I decoded it, I looked at the time on my laptop. It’s already 7:47pm. I made haste and deleted the message from the system, torn the sheet of paper to little bits, wore my jacket and checked the area before heading out to the motel.

********

Upon returning to my room, my thoughts ran back to Jake again. Was he able to get my message? Will he come? Is he still angry with me?

I thought about the odds of him coming and leaned on the possibility that he may not. He has better things to do. I decided to get my suitcase and put my clothes in the dresser, taking my favorite knitted top and shorts and getting into the bathroom to take a hot shower.

Feeling rejuvenated after the bath, I proceeded to the coffee table and eat the food I bought from the café. Since I’ll be working through the night, I decided to buy more, including coffee, to keep me awake.

I turned the television on while passing the time, picking this new show about a medical student on a mission to uncover the conspiracy linking a family tragedy to a biology professor. The time in the TV shows 7:55pm, and there’s still no sign of Jake showing up. Letting the matter drop, I got up from my seat to brush my teeth and put some moisturizer on my face.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, I looked to my right and saw Jake standing there, staring at my information wall. He’s got a backpack slung over one shoulder. He seemed to notice me and stared back as I walk up to him.

“I – ” he stuttered, pointing back at the glass door, seemingly uncomfortable. “I tapped on the door, but no one was answering, and I don’t want to be seen outside, so I used my key. Sorry.”

I realized he’s uncomfortable seeing me a bit underdressed, so I snatched my jacket from the end of the bed and put it on quickly. He turned away, suddenly interested in Hannah’s picture. I bit my lip in embarrassment, thinking of ways to restart the conversation. I took the remote control and turned the television off.

“I wasn’t sure you would come.” I said shyly. “I thought you’d still be mad at me.”

He looked concerned knowing that I thought of him being mad at me. He was about to say something but closed his mouth quickly and opened it again, changing the topic. “That was a clever puzzle you sent me.”

I walked past him to the coffee table, taking some of the food from the paper bag. “Would you like to eat while I discuss? I assume you’re leaving?” I said, looking at the backpack.

He glanced at the backpack as he sat at the chair I offered, putting the bag down. “No, I’m not leaving, this is just my laptop and other important stuff. I was in a hurry since I lost track of time and looked at the puzzle a bit late.” He said as he takes the fork I offered and took a bite of the pasta while I poured him a glass of juice.

It made me internally sigh in relief to know he’s not leaving. It means we have more time to work. To be honest, I feel better having him physically here. It makes me less anxious.

“I’m sorry about earlier, Maddie. I overreacted. I just didn’t expect you to come here and I got worried for your safety.” He said, looking at me intently. I stared back at him, trying to memorize his features, finally wondering how it would feel to touch his face. I was surprised by the thought and focused on the glass of juice I was drinking.

“But I guess I don’t have to worry about that much, I bet you could take down the Man Without a Face with one, mean swing.” He said, a sly smile forming on his face.

I chuckled at that remark. I just can’t help it, he has a beautiful smile, it’s sending butterflies to my stomach every time. “I’m listing that as part of my goals.” I said, finishing my glass.

After he had eaten, he went back to the information wall, looking at every connection I made based on chat conversations and private chats I have.

“I met with Lilly this afternoon.” I said, standing beside him, looking at the information wall.

He looked at me inquisitively, like he can’t believe I followed his advice. “What did she say?”

“That I shouldn’t be here.” I said nonchalantly. “I didn’t tell her that you are here, since I’m not sure if you’re staying.” I added, in case he asks.

He nodded slowly. “That’s probably for the best.” It took a long while for him to speak, probably thinking about Hannah, Lilly and his family. I wish I could help him heal.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked.

When I looked at him I smiled, a certain understanding forming between us. That we’re still in this together. That we are going to find Hannah.

“Dr. Barret. Phil. Alan.” I said, pointing to each of their faces in the wall. “I want to talk to them. I already talked with Phil, but I still think he’s hiding something from me. I need to get into his private chats. I called Alan but it only went through voicemail, so I’m still at a loss on how to talk with him. And Dr. Barret. I know this is going to be hard, since there’s a patient-doctor confidentiality issue, but I need to get Hannah’s patient history.”

He looked at the photos I pointed to, stroking his chin while thinking. “I’ll see if I can find anything from Dr. Barret’s files. You already have Phil as a contact, so I think it’ll be easier for me to put his private chats into your spy mode. I’ll also try to look for Alan’s last location.”

“I’d also like to visit these places - Blackwater Lake. The Gate of Hope. The Aurora. I need to see how jute bag boy found out that Jessy and I came from there and these two are the last places we’ve been, and I want to see that steel door of the Aurora’s basement.”

I took the pictures I got from Hannah’s cloud and the ones that came from Thomas. “Also, this may seem unimportant, but you said that things may be more relevant on closer inspection, so I did look closer. These are the pictures of Hannah from her cloud, and these are the ones that came from Thomas. Notice any difference?”

Jake inspected the pictures and nodded. “The ones that came from Hannah’s cloud looked more serious, cryptic, and are mostly from the forest. The ones that came from Thomas looked like the usual Hannah – lively, adventurous.”

I’m glad he catches on fast. “I thought so, too. Also, this picture here.” I took the photo of the tree from the forest, the one that have what seems like a hole. “Can you get me its location? I’m not sure if all of Hannah’s pictures have locations tagged on them, but I’d like to go to them.”

He was surprised at that. “You’re going to the forest? Are you sure that’s wise?” he asked.

“I’m trying to trace Hannah’s steps and understand why she had these pictures taken. I’m sure they’re relevant to her disappearance.” I looked at pictures one more time, trying to commit them to memory.

Jake looked at me with that serious look in his eyes, and I was surprised when he took my hand, holding it tightly.

“We’re doing this.” He said, squeezing my hand lightly. I nodded in agreement, squeezing his hand back. We both looked back at the information wall.

The silence was interrupted when he said, “It’s been a while since I’ve held a woman’s hand.”

I smiled, slightly embarrassed. “How does it feel?”

He smiled back, that smile that makes my heart flutter. “Surprisingly warm.”

It feels so much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's where I got my inspiration for Maddie's sleepwear:
> 
> [Sleep](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/0b/36/d7/0b36d78b97ac9b39e180d2e4762899cd.jpg)


	11. Sleepyheads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was about to sleep, but then I thought of leaving you guys with a bit of fluff from Jake and MC. ;)
> 
> As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you for reading! ❤️❤️❤️

Madeleine Closs is such an extraordinary woman.

I’ve never met anyone as straightforward as her, even back then, when I can still meet people. She’ll say what she thinks and doesn’t flinch one bit.

Just like now.

Of all the things she could ask, she wanted me to stay the night.

I’m not sure what to feel or to expect, since it all feels new to me. Her wearing that sleepwear makes matters worse for my decision-making skills. The scent of her perfume gives me warm, fuzzy feelings. The way she untangles her hair makes me want to touch it.

This cannot be good.

I stand at the corner of the bed, looking at her while she arranges the pillows and the sheets of blanket. She looks unbothered by the fact that she’ll be sharing a bed with a man. Her reason is that the bed’s big enough for the both of us.

“Are you really sure?” I asked again for what seems to be the third time.

She rolled her eyes, impatient. “For the third and final time, yes.” She looked at me, a little bit annoyed. “It doesn’t really bother me, unless –” she said, eyeing me incredulously.

“Unless what?” I asked, egging her on.

“Do you talk in your sleep?” she asked.

I looked at her, serious. “Really, that’s your question?” I responded.

“Do you drool when you sleep? She continued.

This woman has weird concerns. “No, of course not!” I said.

“You snore?” She added, sounding like she can’t even believe it possible. 

I rolled my eyes in resignation, a smirk forming on my lips. “This is getting ridiculous.”

She even had the guts to argue, raising a finger. “Hey, that’s a valid concern!” she said, laughing.

Laughing with her at the weirdest moments feels good. It feels nice to laugh again.

“Then what is it?” she finally asked.

I sat on the edge of my side of the bed, placing one leg on the mattress. “We’ve just met today and we haven’t known each other that long, and now you want me to sleep next to you?”

“Are you worried about that?” she asked, leaning on the headboard at her side of the bed.

“You’re not?” I asked, curious.

She thought about it for a moment, then replied, “No.” Smoothing the creases of the blanket, she explained, “To be honest with you, what’s making me uncomfortable is the awkwardness that’s happening. I already told you I like you, and you’ve told me the same. We miss each other, so I don’t understand why it would be awkward for me to spend more time with you while you’re here.”

“That’s acceptable reason.” I said, amazed at her honesty.

She patted her pillows and lay her head on it. “You live rent-free on my mind for a long while now. Maybe I should start charging fees.” She said, smirking.

I took the laptop from my back pack and sit on the bed next to her. She closed her eyes, finally relaxing.

“If there's anyone who should be charging rent here, that's me.” I jested, moving closer to her.

She can hear the clacking of keys on my keyboard as I work, but it didn’t bother her. “What are you doing now?” she asked, stretching her legs under the blanket and leaning on her right, facing me.

“Masking my IP address and finding a way to connect you to Phil’s conversations.” I said, focusing on the task.

She nodded slowly, sleep starting to claim her. “Okay, I’ll let you do Jake things now.”

“Jake things, huh? Is that what they call hacking, nowadays?” I asked.

She chuckled. “No, that’s what Dan will tell you if he knew.” She paused for a bit, opening her eyes. “I forgot to tell you, but I visited Dan this morning. He’s still at the hospital.”

I don’t know why, but I felt a bit irritated. Or is that jealousy? “What did he say?”

She raised her head slightly, putting one hand between her head and the pillow as leverage. “Not much, really. Although he gave an insightful remark that might help us. Hannah called Phil the day she disappeared. Phil said he didn’t know exactly why she wanted to meet with him, but I think he knows more than he’s letting on.”

“You seem to trust Dan better than the others.” I said, trying to sound unbothered by continuously typing on my laptop.

She smirked again, like she can read what's on my mind. “I like you way much better, if that’s what you’re trying to get at.”

"I'm glad to get that straight." I said, looking back at her. We stared at each other for a little while longer before she closed her eyes again.

“It’s Lilly you should be concerned for. She seems to like him, but Dan likes Jessy so much, a car accident won’t stop him from asking her out again.” She said.

I looked shocked and annoyed, but decided to let the matter drop. Lilly is old enough to think for herself. And even if things don’t go well with Dan, I’m sure Lilly can get over him.

Maddie seems to be asleep already, her breathing slowing. She must be tired after all that’s happened today. Careful not to wake her, I caressed her head slowly, putting a stray lock of her hair back in place.

I don’t want to lose moments like this again.

I'm fighting back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song inspiration for this chapter:
> 
> Poetry - Wrabel ❤️❤️


	12. Good Morning

_She was there in the forest, standing beside that tree marked with the sign of the raven. I kept running towards her, but the more I chase her, the more she fades away. I screamed, calling her name, hoping she’ll tell me where she is. I kept running further into the thick trees, not noticing the vines that are slowly weaving through my arms and entangling me until I can’t move anymore. I tried yanking my arms away, but the vines only get tighter. Panting hard from exertion, I looked around trying to find another solution._

_He’s there somewhere, I can feel it – like a shadow hiding behind the trees, moving closer. I tried to focus, squinting my eyes through the thick fog of the forest, looking for him. I looked up, seeing a flock of ravens coming my way. I tried yanking my hands again, but nothing gives._

_“I warned you but you didn’t listen.” I hear him whisper to my right._

_I stopped, fear rooting me where I stood. The only thing I can hear is the sound of my ragged breathing. And unlike the heat of the living, all I feel is the cold, creeping its way through my body._

_I looked to my right, and all I see is the jute bag masking his face, covered in blood._

“Maddie.” I can hear Jake whisper to my ear as I regain consciousness, his arm moving under my neck while the other wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer until my back is pressed against his chest. The heat of his body is slowly warming me up, thawing the cold brought by the fear of my dream.

“You’re shivering.” He said as I hold onto his arm, leaning further into his embrace. “It’s alright, it’s only a dream.” He whispered reassuringly, his lips lightly brushing against my neck.

Sunlight is slowly peeking in through the curtains, the morning dew visible on the glass door. I tried to relax, taking a deep breath as I feel my surroundings. The heat is also slowly coming back to my feet. I keep silent, trying to keep my thoughts away from the dream.

After a while, he asked, “Do you want to tell me about it?”, his hands moving to cover my own, our fingers intertwined.

I shook my head slowly. “It’s just jute bag boy.” I said. He hummed in recognition, encouraging me to continue. “Well, you know, doing what he does best – threatening me.” I can feel him smirking with the way his breath huffed against my neck. “Did I wake you?” I asked, tilting my head slightly to his direction.

“No, I was just about to sleep. I find it quite hard to sleep at night when I was staying at the Dare House, it already became a habit to sleep during the day. Don’t worry, I had a very productive night.” He said, his voice tired.

Lifting his arm from my waist, I turned around to face him. He pulled me in closer, his hand moving back to my where it was earlier, tugging my clothes lightly to cover my exposed skin and gently stroking my lower back to keep me warm. He has his eyes closed, sleep slowly claiming him. Raising my hand to the back of his head, I threaded my hand through his hair, staring at his resting face.

“You should sleep in. I’ll keep the curtains closed to keep the light out.” I said.

“I’m just resting my eyes. I’ll sleep after you’ve gone out.” He answered, his eyes blinking open. “Good morning.”

I didn’t answer, instead I kept staring at him, tracing the outlines of his brows, his cheekbones, to his lower lip. He leaned into my touch, his breath heavy.

“Are you asking me to kiss you?” He asked, his face moving closer to mine I could feel every breath.

This attraction I have for him is firing up my courage, so I said, albeit a little bit nervous, “Maybe?” while looking at his lips, my stomach heavy with anticipation.

He took my face in his hand, his fingers curling around my neck and pulling closer, our lips almost touching, when my phone suddenly rang. We both froze, looking at each other. I almost cursed at my phone.

“Is that an alarm or do you need to get that?” he asked, glancing at my phone where it lays at the top of the nightstand, vibrating.

I bit my lip in disappointment, knowing who exactly is calling. “If I don’t take that call we’ll be in big trouble.” I said, getting up from the bed and snatching the phone from the night stand. Jake got up as well, amused that I looked annoyed for being interrupted. I looked at the phone, tempted to press the cancel button.

“Hello?” I answered, trying to sound calm.

“You sound agitated, I can tell.” She said on the other line.

“No, I’m not Emma, you just woke me up, that’s all.” I said, looking at Jake who’s trying hard not to make a sound of laughter by pinching his lips shut, and it’s not really helping my self-control.

“Really? Doesn’t sound like it.” She pressed on. I sighed, changing the topic. “What’s up?”

“Just checking if you’re still alive.”

“I’m still breathing, thank you for asking. You could’ve just texted me?” I asked.

“Ah, I knew it, I DID interrupt something.” She said, her tone accusing. Maybe I should limit spending time with Emma. She knows me too well already. “Is hacker boy there?” She continued, intrigued. This call is going sideways.

“Emma, I had a busy day yesterday and you just woke me up. Can we talk about hacker boy some other time? And no, he’s not here.” I asked, trying to sound tired, hoping it works.

“Okay, just making sure.” She said, laughing. “Shall I call you again tomorrow?” she jested.

“NO, JUST TEXT ME, WILL YOU?” I said, my voice going up a notch. She laughed again, sending me a kiss over the phone and hanging up.

I looked at Jake, annoyed. “Stop laughing.”

“I’m not.” He said, biting his lip to keep himself from laughing while I squint my eyes at him. “So, this Emma knows about me?” he asked, changing the topic.

“Well, a little bit. I can’t help it, she was being very nosy at the time, and she likes to read other people’s messages, too.”

He laughed, and my simmering anger dissipated. That should be illegal, how he can disarm me with just a laugh, or a smile. I walked to the dresser, taking the clothes that I will wear for today, while Jake got up to his laptop at the work table.

I called up to him before going inside the bathroom to change. “What would you like for breakfast? I can call to have it brought here.”

“I already did. Luckily it was Old Gray who answered, or else I wouldn’t have responded.” He said as he typed on his keyboard.

Before I lose the nerve, I ran up to him and kissed his cheek. “Good morning.” I said as I ran back to the bathroom, leaving him surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I should already move on with the story, but I just can't resist making a chapter full of fluff for these two, they're just adorable. Next chapter, I promise. ;)
> 
> Thank you very much for reading my work! Sending lots of love!


	13. Connections

Old Gray knocked on the door after a while, bringing the food that Jake ordered. He was shocked when I opened it for him, smiling sweetly as he entered. I can see him forming questions on his mind, glancing at the information wall every once in a while, then to the both of us. When he finally understood what’s going on, he seemed to relax a bit.

“I guess we owe each other an explanation.” I said to Old Gray, offering him a seat while Jake sat in the lounge chair.

When Jake started by telling me about Old Gray and his mother’s death, I can’t help but notice a connection. His mother was not from Duskwood, just like Jennifer. However, when I asked him about the eyes, Old Gray said that Anna has blue eyes, just like Jake’s. I agreed with Old Gray when he said that these unsolved deaths are suspicious and there must be a connection, along with the dead body recently found in Duskwood. He might be old, but his mind is as sharp as a knife. He catches on quick and recognizes important information as I explained everything that happened from the day I received Thomas’ text to my arrival here in Duskwood.

“I just wish the police released more information about the dead body.” I said, looking at the information wall and thinking about the connection between these deaths. There must be one.

“How come you don’t have more information, when you have a connection with the Duskwood police?” Old Gray asked, curious.

Jake and I looked at each other, unsure. “We do?” we asked in unison.

Old Gray looked surprised that we didn’t know. “Yes, Paul Rogers! He was the one that told me that a body was found in the forest, and I immediately informed Jake.”

I furrowed my brows in frustration, “Paul Rogers? Do you mean Richy’s father, Paul?” I asked him. This seemed news to Jake as well.

He nodded, adjusting his seat. “He’s retired police, but still has connections with them. They’re big names back then, along with Hannah’s father, Marcus.”

I remembered Richy saying he basically grew up with Hannah, but he never told us anything about his father, only that they don’t seem to get along well. All these important piece of information, and Hannah’s friends are not telling me. Jake was right when he said not to trust anyone from the group.

“Anyway, I’ve got to go, or else Ms. Walter will wonder where I am.” He said, getting up from his seat. He reached out and took my hand, covering it with his. “I wish you didn’t have to be involved in this, you are risking a lot by coming here. But if Hannah really did send your number, that means she knows you and trusts you. I’m not a detective but I am a good judge of character. I can see it in your eyes - the determination and bravery are there. Both of you can do this.” I returned his smile and saw him to the door.

Jake was adding new information on the wall when I walked up to him. “I didn’t know about Richy’s father. I knew about the body from Old Gray, but I didn’t bother to ask where he got the information.” He said, regretting that he wasn’t more thorough.

“Something’s not right with him.” I said as I look at Richy’s photograph. “He was always withdrawn, never makes decisions that might affect the group.” I turned to face Jake, recalling the incident. “Remember when Lilly tried to remove me from the group? He didn’t vote. Maybe he didn’t want to create a majority and he’s trusting Dan to vote against me because he thinks we are not in good terms.”

I continued. “I remembered him asking Jessy why she told me first about the body. He said, _I need to tell you something about Maddie_. You told me he could be telling Jessy his reason why he doesn’t trust me, but could it be something else?”

“Could he have found information linking you to Hannah?” Jake asked, suspicion forming on his mind.

I paced back and forth as I try to remember my suspicions. “Jessy’s date with Dan. He was missing that afternoon, Jessy looked for him before she left the garage. He’s a mechanic, he knows a lot about cars. It would be easy for him to tamper with Dan’s car and make it look like an accident, wouldn’t it?”

Jake thought about it for a moment, “Yes, that is possible.”

“The competitor, TT. Dan said Richy might have to close shop because of them, but Richy said he’s always busy with work. What’s there to work on?” I glanced on the information wall and noticed the map of Duskwood that I drew, focusing on Rogers Garage. “Cleo’s video. Cleo said she always turns around right in front of the junkyard when she jogs. What if Richy was waiting for her unnoticed when he made the first call, then dropped it because he didn’t expect her to continue to the woods that day? He followed her to the woods then called me again.”

Jake looked confused. “ - but Richy was marked.” He quipped, noting the disconnect.

I pointed at him, noting his comment. “Yes, the sign of the raven. Richy was alone in the shop that day because Jessy was with Dan at the hospital. He called to tell me about the dare of the Duskwood boys, when he came back to the junkyard the sign was there. I was the only one who knew where he is at that time. Obviously, I couldn’t have done it. What if he drew it before going to the Dare House?”

Everything is clicking into its place when we made the connection with Richy. We’re getting closer, I can feel it.

“And finally, the tour with Jessy. Only Richy knows that Jessy planned something with me. Could he have followed Jessy and then attacked her after?” I noted, sitting at the edge of the bed, mulling over our findings.

Jake let out a deep breath, his hand covering his chin as if thinking, “Yes, everything you said seems to fit together, but we’re still missing the WHY. Why would Richy abduct Hannah? We have no information linking Richy to Jennifer’s death nor to Hannah’s disappearance. Right now, it still looks like he’s just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

He’s right. All of these are just speculations unless we find a solid motive for Richy to abduct Hannah.

“I need to meet them.” I said, taking my satchel from the luggage rack and looking for my phone. “Lilly, Cleo, and Thomas. They’re closest to Hannah, and I need to know what they think about Richy being involved in all these.”

Jake caught my wrist as I turn around for the door. “Wait, let’s talk about something first.” He said, beckoning me to sit on the bed. I followed and wondered what it could be. “I told you I had a productive night, remember? I already linked Phil’s conversations on your phone and to mine. Unfortunately, I cannot find any other information from Dr. Barret’s files. He started his private clinic eight years ago, but he doesn’t have any further information before that period.” He paused, taking a magnet-like device from his pocket, a size of a penny. “Lastly, I’m going to ask you to keep this on your person at all times.”

I gaped at him, amused. “Is that a tracking dot? I’ve never seen a real one.” He nodded, pleased that I recognize the thing.

“Remember when I told you that I meddled in some things that were never supposed to get out into the public? I was working for the _Bundeskriminalamt_. They wanted me to dug up information on some defunct project. I was about to decrypt it but the owners found out and now these owners are onto me, I had to severe my connection with the BKA as well. This is a tracking dot that the BKA issued. I disabled the connection with their system and connect the GPS of the device to mine. Now I will know wherever you are even if we don’t text each other - traceable within a 50-km radius and has a 5 to 10-meter accuracy. To put it simply, I can track you anywhere within Duskwood.”

I took the little device gingerly in my hand. It’s so small, I’m afraid I might break it or lose it. I am still at awe with the device as I put it in the tiniest pocket of my pants.

“I’m not sure if it’s alright to say this, but seeing you think about all of this and you finding this device amazing is very attractive.” He said, pulling me closer by the waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, a smug smile forming on my lips.

“Well, you talking very Ethan Hunt-ish back there is very attractive, too.” I said in jest.

He leaned closer, his face inches away from mine. “You do realize that it’s Benji doing all the tech work in there, right?” He asked, confused. Realizing the analogy, I laughed out loud, the sound filling the room. He shut me up by crushing his lips to mine in a sweet kiss, his mouth warm and gentle.

My heart was pounding in my chest when he broke the kiss, our foreheads touching. I bit my lip, chasing the taste of his lips and wishing it was longer.

“Wish me luck.” I said to him as I walk to the door, him following closely.

He opened the door for me as he said, “But I don’t believe in luck.”

I smiled at that, finding that we are similar in that aspect. “Neither do I, but it’s just a force of habit.”

“Then good luck, and I’ll see you later.” He said, smirking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think about Richy? Could he be the Man Without A Face? I'd love to hear your thoughts! <3<3


	14. One Step Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit behind schedule! I was quite worried about this because I have finished writing this chapter at the start of the week, but I got distracted watching Queen's Gambit (Netflix) and got an idea and I had to write the thing all over again. T_T Sorry for that.
> 
> I'm working on the next chapter now, so hopefully I'll be able to post the next one earlier.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and would always love to hear from you! <3<3

It was cold and windy when I stepped out of the motel so I decided to walk instead of using my car. People on the streets would not pay attention to a stranger like me, anyway. They would think I’m also one of the tourists. Also, I feel like walking will give me an idea of the places that Hannah has been to before she disappeared and might give me perspective on things.

The marketplace is a good area to go if you want to observe the general public. You’ll see anyone from all walks of life – from little children playing, friends chatting at the patio of Rainbow Café, tourists coming into the shops and taking pictures. I sat on one of the benches and tried to feel everything around me.

I sent a message to Thomas, Cleo and Lilly regarding my suspicions about Richy. It doesn’t feel nice to say those things about him without solid proof, but I had to tell them what I know. Maybe they’ll trust me even more if I do not keep things from them. Thomas seemed skeptical, like always, and Cleo seemed irritated that I would even think of Richy like that, but agreed on the points that I raised. Lilly didn’t want to entertain the thought at first, but found my explanation plausible. In the end, we agreed to keep in mind those suspicions until we can gather more information.

I thought about the matchbox found in the dead body in the woods. It feels wrong to accuse Phil of something just because of a matchbox that has his bar’s name on it. Anyone could buy a matchbox with Aurora’s name, especially when you’re a customer of the Aurora. We haven’t even connected the dead body with Hannah’s disappearance. To me, it seemed like Richy was just pointing suspicion away from him. In addition, it doesn’t help that they don’t like Phil.

I also got an impression that Phil isn’t really what they painted him to be. Phil is very careful of his reputation, I gathered. If Phil didn’t really like the group, he could’ve called the police when he saw Thomas and Cleo trying to break into the basement. If he doesn’t care for Jessy, even for a little bit, he wouldn’t let her know. Yes, our conversation felt like he planned what to say to me, but I also felt the same way during my conversation with Richy, which means they know something more than they’re telling me.

My thoughts were disturbed when I heard my phone ping, and was shocked to see Jake’s name.

**J A K E**

What are you doing there in the marketplace?

I thought you’re going to see Lilly and the others. 

  


I almost forgot about the tracker. I haven’t been away for too long, and he’s already asking about my whereabouts. Maybe the tracker is not such a good idea after all.

**J A K E**

Hey, we can text again! How come?

The distraction that Lilly created proved useful.

I found that I can have certain liberties back.

So, the marketplace?

I just needed a place to think.

I need to collect my thoughts first before putting it into action.

And you need sleep. You will not get that if you hear me talk to myself.

And the first place you thought of is the marketplace?

The townsfolk will also not appreciate you talking to yourself.

  


I laughed. He’s ridiculous at times.

**J A K E**

I do not talk to myself in public, silly.

And all the chatter works as background noise.😉

Hehe. Alright then.

I forgot to tell you earlier, but I found the GPS locations on the pictures you asked.

You’ll find it on the map.

  


This made me excited. Lilly said Hannah always liked to keep memories, so I’m guessing these pictures are important to her. They say the forest is huge and I don’t want to go there without knowing where to go. This will definitely make my life easier.

**J A K E**

Great! I can work on this right away.

No you won’t.

Don’t go into the forest alone.

What’s the point in looking for the coordinates if I can’t go in there?

And I won’t ask anyone from the group to come with me. 

They’re in too much danger already. 

And you’re not? :/ 

You’re not my father, Jake. 🙄

No. I'm not.

I'm your boyfriend.

  


I must have misread that. I blinked and looked at it closer, just to make sure that my eyes are not playing tricks on me.

He called himself my boyfriend. I can feel the heat running to my face and I can’t keep myself from giggling like a schoolgirl. I read the text one more time. I realized I hadn't responded when another message popped up.

**J A K E**

Too soon?

No.

I was just surprised.

Caught you off guard, didn't I? ;) 

That has to be the first time.😝

Are you just distracting me so I won’t go into the forest?

I know you well enough to know that I can’t stop you from doing the things you’ve set your eyes on.

I’m just reminding you that I worry nonetheless.

  


That’s sweet of him. Maybe I should calm his anxiety a bit.

**J A K E**

Here’s what I’ll do.

I will stick to the locations

Have a quick look

And come back ASAP

Besides, you can see me with your little tracking device.

I feel safer already.

Just because I know where you are doesn’t mean I can also get there fast enough.

Shall we talk on video call then while I’m going there?

No

You need all your senses working if you’re going there.

  


I waited for the three dots on my phone to stop blinking, but no response came.

**J A K E**

I’ll text you as soon as I get there, alright?

And I won’t take long, I promise.

Okay.

Be careful.

I will.

Talk to you later.

  


Filled with a new sense of courage, I got up from my seat and started to head towards the direction of the Gate of Hope and into Blackwater Lake. As I passed by Rainbow Café, I look to my right to see the Pharmacy and remembered what Mrs. Sully said on the day she saw Hannah. What could Hannah have seen that made her look white as a wall? The vicinity is so filled with people, the Man Without a Face can’t possibly appear there, can he? Could it be someone else? Someone she recognizes? Or did she remember something? Is that why she was running out of the Pharmacy?

I was thinking deeply about all of this when I was startled by someone tapping on my shoulder. My senses kicked awake, I grabbed their arm and was surprised to see a familiar face.

It was Cleo.

She looked shocked as well when I grabbed her arm and looked like I might throw her off the street, but I let go of her arm as soon as I recognized that it’s her.

“I saw you walking from the marketplace but I wasn’t sure that it was really you, so I thought I’d just follow where you’re going.” Cleo said, surprise still written on her face. “Why didn’t you tell us you’re here? Since when? Are you staying at the motel?”

I’m not sure whether to tell her where I’m staying, but I need to be honest with her to gain her trust. “It’s a long story, but I just got here yesterday, and I’m not sure how to tell you that I’m here.” Not entirely telling the truth is not a lie, right? “Are you going to the Gate of Hope?” I asked, looking at the boxes of cake that she’s carrying.

“Yes, I’m going to my mother. You seem to know your way around Duskwood already.” She guessed. We resumed walking to the Gate of Hope.

I can hear the tone of accusation from her words, but decided to let it pass. “Didn’t Richy mention that Jessy was giving me a virtual tour of Duskwood the afternoon before she was attacked?” Cleo shook her head and said that Richy only mentioned that I was on the phone with Jessy at that time, nothing else. I wondered why Richy would leave out that information.

“Well, since you’re here, I must introduce you to my mother. She will be thrilled to see the person I was talking about the past few days.” Cleo said, smiling and leading the way to the Gate.

********

Suffice to say, my plan to go to the forest was stalled by Cleo’s mother. Miranda had been very welcoming and was happy to see me, despite the circumstances that led me to be here. She was even sorry that she had to cancel the forest search, but I told her that it was okay, and that it was understandable that she’s worried for her daughter’s safety. She then made me busy with helping her around the place. Cleo was right when she said her mother needs a little bit of attention. She can be really persuasive when she wants to.

When I told Cleo about my plans to go to the forest, she didn't seem pleased with the idea. She suggested instead that we confront Richy about my suspicions and be done with it. I told her it is too early to confront Richy, and it would scare him if we all barge into the garage and force him to tell us where Hannah is.

It was already evening when I left the Gate of Hope. Cleo offered to walk with me back to the motel, but I told her I want to see Phil at the Aurora and see if I can get more information from him. She can’t come with me because they managed to get themselves banned from the place for their little stunt with the basement, but I told her I will inform her immediately if anything happens.

As I walked down the street going to the Aurora, I can’t shake this feeling that someone is watching me. I made my pace a little faster than usual and when I reached the Aurora I hurriedly went inside.

I sat in one of the stools and took my phone from my bag to text Jake.

**J A K E**

Hey, sorry.

I wasn’t able to go to the forest.

Cleo’s mother is a character.

I’m at the Aurora now.

I felt like someone was following me as I walked going here.

But I’m okay now.

I’ll see you later.

  


I put my phone back in my bag and let out a big breath that I’ve been holding since the time I felt that I was being followed. I was a bit irritated at myself for getting spooked by a feeling. I must be better than this. Fear of this unknown will not get me anywhere, and will certainly not help me find Hannah.

I was surprised when a glass of beer was offered to the table, and I looked up to see Phil smirking at me.

“You look like you could use a drink, Maddie.”


	15. Of the Graven Sin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is inspired by Ariana Grande's latest album, particularly the following songs:
> 
> Obvious  
> Motive  
> POV  
> Safety Net  
> Positions
> 
> Happy reading! ❤️❤️❤️

I smiled and took the glass of cold beer, taking a sip. “This is a nice welcome, Phil, I didn’t know you are also a bartender. How did you know it was me?” I asked as I watched him wipe beer glasses that will be used for the night.

Now that I've seen him, I understand why Cleo doesn’t like Phil. He has this tendency to rub off of people the wrong way and has this mischievous, intimidating look in his eyes that spells trouble should you return his gaze. Emma would certainly fall for that kind of charm, but not for personalities such as Cleo’s.

The Aurora has just opened when I came in, the loud sound from the background music of the bar replacing the silence from outside.

“It’s my job to recognize new customers from regulars. I can’t explain how I know it was you, but it’s not every day that we get a mysterious, beautiful lady come to the place. Call it intuition, if you will.” He winked at me then continued wiping the beer glasses on the counter. “I notice you didn’t bring the others with you.” He added, bringing a plate of pork schnitzel from the kitchen. I just ate dinner with Cleo and her mother, but I can’t seem to resist food when it’s offered. I took a bite of the food and drank the beer, and it was so refreshing.

“Are you talking about Cleo and Thomas? Because I thought they were banned from here.” I said, checking my phone for any notification. I’m worried that Jake isn’t replying to my messages.

Phil finished what he was doing and went out of the counter to sit on the stool beside mine. I don’t mind it, as long as he keeps his hands where they should be. He leaned an arm on the countertop, his body facing me. “Well, they’d get a pass since you’re with them.” I think he is trying to form an opinion of me, now that we’ve seen each other face to face. “You definitely look different from the others. Your presence alone is already very commanding.”

“I’d take that as a compliment.” I said, drinking from my beer glass again.

“So, what brings you here, Maddie? Still think that Hannah’s in the basement?” he jested, smirking.

It feels nice to talk casually to Phil like we’ve known each other for a long time, but at the same time it felt too nice for comfort. Looking back at the conversations, maybe Phil was really just fed up with whatever Jessy and her friends have been up to. However, I didn’t really think that they are a bunch of troublemakers.

“Keep talking about that and I might just believe it.” I joked. I took a bite of the food again, thinking how best to get information from him without being too pushy. “I’m just a bit stuck, I guess. I’ve already talked with people that Hannah had last interacted with, except for this person and another unknown number.” I keep looking at him from the corner of my eye as I said those words and noticed his uneasiness and curiosity.

“Cleo says the Aurora is one of these rumor mills, she calls it.” I mentioned casually. “Do you happen to know a certain ‘Alan’? He seemed to know Hannah.”

I am sure that Phil knew who I was talking about with the look on his face but it disappeared as fast as I recognized it. He fidgeted on his seat and tried to look nonchalant.

“You know Maddie, I’m not sure about what Cleo has been telling you, but this place - ” he said, pointing his fingers up and rolling it in a circular motion, “ – has been in business for so long not only because people like to drink, but because of the owner’s discretion.” He said, winking. “Whatever happens in this place, kind of stays in this place.”

He may not be aware of it, but he confirmed my suspicions and fueled my courage. I am never one to back down on a challenge, so I leaned closer to him, smirking, “Phil, if you must know something about me, it’s that I’m very determined to get to the bottom of this, whether you tell me things or not.” He was a bit surprised when I leaned closer to him, but I can see from his eyes that he’s debating whether to tell me what he knows. “You are right about one thing, though. I just want to find Hannah. However, everyone I know has been keeping things from me, and I admit it’s causing delays but I always find out the truth. ALWAYS.” I said slowly, emphasizing the weight of the word.

Someone behind me cleared their throat, gaining Phil’s attention. His eyes veered away from mine for a moment and smiled, standing up from the stool. “You and Hannah have that in common.” He said, walking back to the counter as I sit back on my seat, finishing my glass.

“Can I get a glass of beer also, and another one for her.” I can hear the person beside me say to Phil. I looked to my right to see who it is, and was surprised to look at Jake, wearing a gray jacket with his hoodie down.

My brain forgot to function for a moment when I saw him. How should I explain this to Phil? Should I tell him that I know Jake? How was he able to get here? I tried to calm myself down and look like I don’t know him, but I remembered Emma saying that I have a bad poker face, and Phil seems able to read people well. He took my glass and returned it full while handling another glass for Jake.

“It seems that I have two new customers today.” Phil said, looking at the both of us with great interest. “You don’t happen to know each other, do you?”

Jake took his glass and drank from it, shaking his head, “No, I’ve never seen her before, but it’s always good to make friends when you’re back in town, isn’t it?” he said, smiling at me. What could possibly be going through his head with this? Talking casually with Phil?

“You’re from here? I’ve never seen you before.” Phil asked Jake, giving him a copy of the menu.

Jake glanced at Phil then to the menu, his eyes betraying nothing. “I was born here, but moved out when I was young. I figured it’s good to visit once in a while.” He said, smirking and glancing at the plate in front of me. “How does that taste?”

“It’s nice, goes well with the cold beer.” I said, looking at him, curious and a bit annoyed. He can’t just appear anywhere he likes, yet here he is, drinking beer and talking to the owner like he knows him.

“I’ll have a plate of that, too.” Jake said to Phil, who noted his order in a pad, rang a bell into the small window connected to the kitchen and posted the paper for the cook to make.

“It must be nice to live outside of Duskwood. What do you do?” Phil asked him. I am feeling quite anxious for Jake, but he seems to be carrying the conversation well.

“I’m a computer engineer.” Jake mentioned.

“Is that right? I don’t get computer engineers here often.” Phil remarked, interested. The bell rang again and Phil took the food Jake ordered, putting it on the counter. “Well, I’d love to know more, but I need to work, so I’ll leave you here with Maddie.”

“Sure, thanks.” Jake said to Phil as he attended to the orders of incoming people.

The music got louder as we drink our beers. I can feel that Jake is also watching Phil get busy enough not to pay attention to us, and when he did Jake leaned onto me, saying “You seem to be using your womanly charms to get information from him.”

I smirked, thinking that he must have been observing us from afar and interrupting us was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I leaned back onto him, saying, “It would be a waste not to, and it was working until you distracted us.”

Jake laughed, “He was a tad too close for my comfort.” He said, a bit apologetic.

“I texted you, did you see it?” I asked.

“I saw you taking too long at Cleo’s and I thought something happened because you didn’t update me, so I decided to head out and find you. I turned my phone off and left it in the motel. I saw you walking and followed you here.” He said, finishing his glass. “I also found out that I can go outside for a while, as long as I keep to myself and stay away from crowded areas.”

So it was him following me. That made me feel better.

“What do you suggest we do now?” he asked, taking a bite from his plate.

I thought about our next move, glancing at Phil who seemed to be watching us too, and an idea formed on my mind. I looped my arms around Jake’s neck, shielding my face from Phil’s view.

“Using my womanly charms, as you aptly put it.” I answered his question. “But you need to play along, do you understand? We need to go to the back door leading to the basement.”

He wasn’t sure what I was planning to do, but he played along, nonetheless. I took his hand and led us to the back of the Aurora. Remembering the CCTV placed facing the basement door, I hurriedly shielded the both of us from view by putting my arms around Jake’s neck, pulling his face close to mine, my back to the door.

“You’re not drunk from two glasses of beer, are you?” he asked, looking at me with a curious smile on his face and putting his arms around my waist.

“I’m trying to make it look like I am. Afterall, what sane woman would lead a man she just met to the back of an establishment to _make out_?” I whispered. I know no one can hear us talking, but I want to be cautious, just in case. “Now, can you see the door knob? I need to know if we can somehow pick the lock.” I asked, angling my head to the left so that he can see the doorknob from the back of my shoulder. My nervousness got the better of me and what was to be a mock attempt to kiss his neck turned to be a soft brush of lips behind his ears.

I can feel him huff a breath as my lips met his skin, his arms getting tighter around my waist. This might not be the best idea, but there’s no going back anymore.

“I need you to focus, Jake.” I whispered to his ears.

“You’re making it very hard to.” He whispered back, his breath tickling my neck. My hand flew to the back of his head, curling through his hair. “It’s too dark to see the doorknob but I think I can feel for it.” He said, pushing my back against the basement door a bit roughly that the doorknob grazed my side, our chests pressed in an embrace. A soft moan suddenly escaped my lips, and I’m not sure whether it’s in response to my back grazing the doorknob or Jake pressing his chest to mine.

“Shit.” He blurted out in a whisper, his left hand curling at my waist, pinching it lightly. We looked at each other and I can see the hunger in my eyes reflected in his.

I swallowed a lump forming in my throat, trying hard not to get distracted. “What is it?” I asked.

I followed his eyes as it fleeted from my trembling lips, to my nose then to my eyes, and I know he’s thinking about the same thing that I was thinking of.

“There’s no keyhole.” He said. I was confused for a moment, unsure what he was talking about. He chuckled softly. “The doorknob, Maddie. There’s no keyhole.”

I shook my head a bit, focusing. “Oh, there isn’t? That’s curious.” I remarked, still distracted by his plush lips and his scent that’s intoxicating me.

“I need you to focus, Maddie.” He said, looking at my lips that are inches away from his, feeling his breathing heavier than what it was earlier.

“You’re making it very hard to.” I said back at him, claiming his lips in a passionate kiss.

I’m not quite sure what’s going through my mind at that moment, but maybe I wasn’t really thinking. I just closed my eyes, focusing on the warmth of Jake’s lips on mine, both his hands inside my shirt, roaming around my waist, sending my nerves haywire. He deepened the kiss as I threaded my fingers through his hair, tugging lightly through the strands. He voiced his approval with a low grumble on his throat, biting my lower lip.

We were both panting for air when he broke the kiss, his forehead touching mine.

“Damn it, Maddie, you’re driving me crazy.” He said in between breaths.

“I should say the same about you.” I said, trying to slow down my breathing.

We both jumped when a loud creaking noise erupted from the basement door like a metal being turned around. The door slowly opened and Phil’s head popped out of the space.

“As much as it’s entertaining to watch both of you, I have a business to run, so why don’t you come inside and find here what I think you two were really after.” He said, going back inside. My hand unconsciously cupped my cheek in an effort to hide the blush on my face.

Jake smirked, looking at me. “It was her idea.” He said teasingly. I slapped his arm for good measure as we enter the room and Phil closes the door behind us.

Now I know why there’s no keyhole on the doorknob. It was a fake. The door will only open from the inside. Obviously, it was installed in such a way to deliberately fool people that it’s a backdoor to the basement.

The room we entered was small, just enough for four people to fit in. In the middle of the room was a computer, and a lot of newspapers, both old and new, littered the floor and the table.

“I knew from the moment I saw you coming into the Aurora that you wanted to confront me about something, but you think I would be angry and refuse to give information. I was testing your patience.” Phil said to me as he lead us to the center of the room where the computer sits in idle. “Also, I knew you know him since you laid eyes on him at the bar earlier. I’m not sure if you notice, but you have a poor poker face.”

Him and Emma will get along, I am sure of this.

Phil took two chairs and motioned for us to sit in front of the computer, then he started explaining, “I’m not sure if you know, but I was not the owner of the Aurora until last year when my boss, Alan Millan, disappeared.”

So that was his name. Alan Millan.

“Before Alan disappeared he had been frequenting the basement, sometimes staying there until the next day the bar opens. At first, I thought he was keeping illegal drugs here, but he explained to me briefly that it wasn’t. However, he warned that there are things I should be thankful that I know nothing about. I also noticed that he’s been talking a lot with Hannah. I don’t want to pry on his personal affairs, and I thought Hannah was having an affair with him, until one day, he showed me this room. He said that if anything happens to him, I must take care of the Aurora and lead Hannah in here if she asks.”

“I waited for her but she didn’t come.” Phil said, worried. “Alan also never came back. He just vanished. He said that this computer holds the truth that Hannah seeks. I was curious when you said earlier that he called Hannah the day she disappeared." He then turned to Jake." You’re a computer engineer, maybe you can find something here? The only problem is that Alan never gave me the password.”

Jake turned the computer on and we waited while it booted. A password prompt appeared on the screen after a while:

**OF THE GRAVEN SIN**

**_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _**

“I’ll leave you two to it. Don’t forget to close the door when you go out, okay? Phil asked Jake.

“Yeah, you got it.” Jake said casually.

When Phil vanished, we looked back at the computer screen again, staring at the blinking indicator.

“We can’t exactly search for him on social media like we did for Dr. Barret, can we? I asked.

Jake shook his head. “No, I think this is different. Those are only five letters, which is relatively easier to find than a 14-digit password." He paused, thinking. "Even assuming that all spaces contain alphabet letters, there would still be billions of combinations, it will be hard to guess it. Also, I noticed that we only have one attempt should the password be wrongly entered." he said, looking at the computer with a serious look on his face. 

What could Alan’s password be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think the password is? :) Comment down below!
> 
> HINT: ANAGRAMS 😉


	16. Sign of the Raven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this was a hard chapter to make! I wanted to make it more visual so I had to read a lot more so I can make everything more believable. New feature:images! 😁😁
> 
> If you can't see them, click on the icon or right-click on it to open the image in a new tab. It will redirect to my Tumblr page, which I made just for this! Can you believe my dedication to this work?!?😝
> 
> If that doesn't work either, inform me in the comments, and I'll get back to you.
> 
> I hope you'll find this chapter entertaining, and as usual, I'd love to hear from you! ❤️❤️

If my eyes could talk they would be screaming abuse at me for staring too long at the computer screen. Somehow, I was hoping that there will be a clue hidden between the letters, but the cursor just kept blinking, like we’re waiting for each other to make the next move. Feeling defeated, I stood up from my seat, resting my stinging eyes and stretching my legs. I started walking around the room and noticed the layer of dust that covered the place. Nobody must have been here in a while. There’s nothing much except for the stack of faded newspapers and articles in the shelves beside the computer, some of it dating back at least thirty years ago. Most of the print is already unrecognizable and worn black and brown, indicating a burn on some of the pages. There’s also a stack of paper that looks like some kind of scholarly article, full of medical terms and such.

I glanced at Jake while he inspects the cables and hardware of the computer set. He seemed to be lost in thought, his brows furrowed in frustration.

“This thing looks ancient.” I said, spotting the floppy disk slot on the processor and some kind of paper feeder that I don’t recognize. It doesn’t even have a computer mouse. “Who uses floppy disks nowadays? Is this still available in the market? And what’s this, a paper shredder?”

He followed my gaze to the equipment, slightly annoyed that he was disturbed. “A dot-matrix printer is the least of our problems right now.” Jake corrected. I looked back at the equipment again, mouthing _dot-matrix printer_ so I would remember. “This _thing_ – ” he said, mimicking what I said earlier, “is not connected to any network. I was thinking of hijacking the TCP/IP session so we can skip the password authentication, but without a network connection we don’t have an IP address, and there’s no way to access the files. A brute-force attack on the password might help, but it will take a lot of time.” He said everything so fast that the only thing I remembered was the word connection.

“English, please.” I said, confusion visibly shown on my face.

Jake looked at me and sighed, shaking his head with a smirk on his face. Seeing me confused about something trivial such as a dot-matrix printer seemed ridiculous to him. “Every computer connected to the Internet has their own IP address, like an identification tag. I was thinking of bypassing that connection to gain access to the information on this computer and skip this password prompt. The problem is this computer is not made to be connected to the Internet. This place also makes it hard to even access the nearest possible Wi-Fi. Simply put, we really need that password.”

I took my phone from my pocket and understood what he was talking about. Even the signal strength is poor in this area. Feeling stuck, I thought of the password prompt again. _Of the graven sin._ What sin could Alan be talking about that cannot be forgotten it was engraved? And he even expected Hannah to know about it?

“I’ve been staring at these words for too long they’re starting to double and jumble in my vision.” I said, sitting back in my chair and closing my eyes. The only thing I can remember that ties Hannah with a sin is the legend of the Man Without a Face.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind and it all dawned on me.

“I’ll be damned.” I thoughtlessly uttered, sitting up straight and looking at Jake with a shocked expression.

“What is it?” He asked, nervously waiting.

“Anagram. The letters are rearranged into another word that will reflect or comment on the subject which in this case is – ”, I typed hurriedly the words in the keyboard, trying to catch up to my train of thought. “ – the password.” I stopped after the last letter, my finger hanging above the enter key.

**O F T H E G R A V E N S I N**

** S ** ** I G N O F T H E R A V E N**

Jake looked at the words I typed, stunned that it fit perfectly on the spaces provided by the prompt. “That cannot be a coincidence.”

“At this point, I don’t believe in coincidences anymore. Everything seems to be connected, but it feels like we’ve barely scratched the surface.” A lot of things ran through my mind. I thought about Hannah and how she knows me. I realized that it cannot be a coincidence, too. I snapped out of my trance and focused on the task again.

“Here I go.” I sighed and pressed the key. Jake was on the edge of his seat, waiting for the computer’s response.

The lights on the screen flickered and a small window popped up. I glanced at the astonished look on Jake’s face. “It opened.”

Shaking his head from disbelief, he asked, “How did you know about that?”

“Emma and I used to make anagrams like this when we’re bored. I never thought it would be useful on a time like this.” I mused.

Jake was still staring at me with a look of admiration. “You’re amazing.”

“Stop it.” I said, a blush creeping on my face.

“You’re wonderful.”

“I said stop.”

“You’re incredible!” he blurted out as I move to cover his mouth. I can feel the tips of my ears burning from embarrassment. I’ve never been praised for knowing things like anagrams. Jake laughed as he tried to avoid my hand, holding it tightly in his.

We returned our focus on the window that opened, and I stared on the black screen. “Is this a command prompt?”

He nodded his head in agreement. “Yes, it looks like it.” He paused, looking at me inquisitively. “Don’t tell me you also know how to type in commands?”

“Well, commands are before my time so this, as they say, is your area of expertise.” I quipped, lying back on my chair to let him take over. Jake smirked and started typing effortlessly on the screen words that I cannot understand. He stopped after a while, pressing the ENTER key hard with a smug look on his face.

“Show off.” I jested. “So, what happened there?”

“I looked up the computer’s directory to see what kind of files there are. It seems that there are only text files in here, but I don’t want to look into them individually so I entered a command to have it printed.” He said, then the dot-matrix printer started to make noises, and the document started showing line by line. “This might take a lot of time.”

I stood up from my seat, walking to the door where Phil disappeared earlier. “I think I need a drink. Do you want another one also?”

He craned his neck in my direction as he looked for printing paper on one of the shelves. “Are you sure you should still be drinking?”

I scoffed at that. Does he think I can’t handle two glasses of beer? “You might not know this, but beer helps boost your memory. Studies show that at a certain amount, the bitter components in beer improves spatial memory and object recognition.” I told him and winked.

“Show off!” he yelled as the doors closed.

********

The Aurora is starting to fill up with people when I came up to Phil at the counter. He didn’t notice me immediately as there are quite a number of people trying to get their drinks. When he saw me at the crowd I lifted my fists and shook it to signify my request and he nodded in agreement. Taking an empty seat while waiting, I glanced around the bar and observed the type of people that are coming in. Most of them are young adults, those who meet their friends after a hard day’s work. There are also a number of elderly people, but not as many as the younger generation. As my eyes wandered to the door, I could’ve sworn I saw a man in a hoodie, lingering there like he’s waiting for something. The door opened and he was obscured from my view and when it closed again, he was no longer there.

“Hey Maddie, I asked you something.” Phil called to me as he handed two glasses of beer. “Any luck?”

I took one last look at the door before shifting my attention back to him, smiling. “Yes, we did. Jake’s running through the files right now.”

Shit. I just gave Jake’s name to Phil. I hope he doesn’t notice. Phil looked surprised that we were able to do it easily, but then looked convinced. Was he trying to open it before?

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Both of you looked like you’re in a mission.” He mused. Phil looked hesitant about something and was silent for a while until he said, “Your friend, I feel like I’ve seen him before.”

I sighed in relief. Thank God he didn’t catch his name. I looked curious, asking, “Really? Maybe you know him a long time ago? He did say he was from Duskwood.”

“Nah, that can’t be. My family moved in here when I was a teenager. I’m sure I would’ve remembered him.” He said, thinking about it. “Are you sure you can trust him?”

I must admit Jake doesn’t look like the most trustworthy person with the way he talks and carries himself, but I’ve learned not to judge people by the way they look. At the moment, I need to get out of this conversation before he becomes more interested. I stood up from my seat and took the beer glasses from the counter. “Yes, of course. He’s been a great help to me. Anyway, I’ll let you know if we find something significant.”

“Be careful, Maddie. The sharpest knives cut the deepest.” He warned. I can see that him and Jake have that in common, too – talking in codes and metaphors.

I stared at him for a while, trying to understand the meaning of his words. While I understand his concern, I know I will not be fooled by Jake. And if he ever does – well, I haven’t thought about that yet. But if that day comes, I know I can make the right decision.

Smiling back at Phil, I replied, “Then I guess I better grip the handle tight and focus on the task.” He smiled back at me as I walk back into the basement, making sure that no one is following or looking at me.

********

I admit I can’t get what Phil said out of my head. I know Jake and I have already talked about trusting each other, and whenever I think about it I realize that I really have no choice. I must trust Jake if I want to find Hannah. I shake the thought out of my head and looked determined. There’s no time to dwell on doubts right now.

“How’s it going – ” I stopped as I enter the secret room of the basement.

Jake wasn’t anywhere to be found.

The printer laid idle, the printed pages scattered on the table. I put down the glasses of beer I was holding, taking a look around. The back door was also left opened, and I hurriedly walk to it and see if Jake’s there, but he isn’t. I closed the door immediately and locked it.

I breathed heavily as I look around the room, a bit frantic. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I started calling Jake, but the signal in the basement is so poor it couldn’t get through.

“Stay calm.” I said to myself as I try to even out my breathing and clear my head. I walked back to the table and looked at the documents. I must admit I wasn’t prepared for what I saw.

Project RAVEN.

The hair on my arms stood up as I read the document, my stomach tangling into knots. I know these names. Hannah’s doctor. Hannah’s father. Richy’s father.

But what shocked me the most was the name of the project’s head.

DR. JULIA HAWKINS.

J.H.

Jessy’s mother?

My hands trembled as I put down the project brief. It was all detailed in there. An experiment on emerald eyed persons that was geared to changing painful memories caused by PTSD.

As I scan through the other pages, I noticed an old brown sheet of paper that fell through the pile.

It must have been left in the box where the printer papers are placed, and Jake noticed it when he was looking for blank papers earlier. I took it and slowly opened the fragile creases.

It was a letter written by Anna Schmidt, the behavioral analyst of the group.

She mentioned about the study not doing well, and making the patients worse than they initially were. But what’s more disturbing is that there was a plan to expand the study area and let the Duskwood residents be unknowing participants. They were planning on releasing the drug in the air.

As I read the closing of the letter, I realized why Jake must’ve left in a hurry.

Anna Schmidt was her mother.


	17. Genesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you for your patience. There's just too much to write, and sometimes I run out of words to say. 😅 Also, please notice that the chapter count has moved from 20 to indefinite. I realized I cannot cram all of my plot in the remaining 3 chapters, so I'm extending it - which means I should write faster. 😆
> 
> Please be advised that this chapter has mentions of suicide near the end. You may want to skip that part if you need to.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this!
> 
> This chapter is inspired by the following songs:
> 
> Ruelle - Genesis  
> Tommee Profitt, Fleurie, Jung Youth - In The End  
> Tommee Profitt, Brooke - Can't Help Falling In Love - DARK
> 
> As always, thank you for your support and I'd love to hear from you! ❤❤

**_13 th of August 1990_**

Rain was pouring hard that morning when Marcus and I reached the facility. Water is gushing down the pipes and into the pavement, making splashing sounds as we run to the door for cover. Taking a handkerchief from my pocket, I patted my coat dry while looking around the place.

Marcus told me that they designed and built the psychiatric wellness center as ordered by the government. Increase in jobs due to the modernization of areas in and around Duskwood is also increasing the level of stress of its people. The government wanted to make sure that the health and wellness of their residents is taken care of. They allotted a small tract of land near the forest overlooking Blackwater Lake to create a small L-shaped building with two floors that can cater to at least fifteen patients at a time. The location is supposed to provide added relaxation to the patients for the duration of their treatment. After all, it was said that viewing scenes of nature reduces anger, fear, and stress. It might be small, but in a town like Duskwood this will already suffice. People are still uncomfortable in addressing their mental health problems and getting yourself admitted in a facility such as this will surely be the town gossip for a long while.

I kept following Marcus as he walked briskly along the corridor. We stopped at the end of the building where an elevator is located and he pressed the down button, which confused me since we are on the ground floor.

“What’s the use of an elevator if you only have two floors? Isn’t that a bit excessive?” I asked, skeptical.

He looked around as if watching out for anyone else besides us. “Older patients might not take the stairs too well, and it’s more efficient to bring a medicine cart up with an elevator instead of a stair, don’t you think?” He said, pausing. “That’s the official explanation. The unofficial explanation is something you are about to see later. You must understand that this project is very confidential, so please do not be alarmed at seemingly unusual things. Okay?” He asked, waiting for my response. I nodded in agreement and followed him as he stepped inside and opened a panel near the elevator buttons, where he entered a code that made the elevator go down.

We waited in silence as the elevator went down. Thinking of something to talk about, I mentioned, “Jake seemed okay with staying with Mr. Gray. I dare say he’s going to enjoy it.”

The elevator stopped and the doors opened, cutting off our conversation. I can see the double doors at the other end of the corridor which must be the entrance to Dr. Hawkins’ office. As we walk, I can’t help but notice that this area has more floor space than the whole building combined. There are hallways at both sides of the corridor that extends further.

Marcus slowed his pace and said, “About Jake – Dr. Hawkins doesn’t know anything about us or that I fathered you a son. I suggest it remain that way.” He warned, his eyes steady. “For your sake and his.”

Marcus is a rising engineer in town. To be able to secure a project such as the construction of a government facility at his young age is impressive for his career. While it still pains me that he doesn’t want to take responsibility for Jake and even suggested that I have an abortion, keeping Jake was my sole decision. He’s my son – my responsibility and mine alone.

“Of course.” I said, my response clipped.

He opened the door and walked inside where we were greeted by a young woman, whom I assume is Dr. Hawkins’ secretary. She has a wispy, long, brown hair that frames her face and accentuates her gray eyes.

“Good morning Ms. Walter, is Dr. Hawkins in?” Marcus asked, craning his neck against the dark windowpane of her office, trying to see a glimpse of the doctor.

I am new here in Duskwood and I always keep to myself at the house where Jake and I live near the motel. I didn’t recognize that this young woman is the motel owner’s daughter.

She smiled coyly at Marcus and never looked at my direction, obviously ignoring my presence. “Please call me Doris.” She said, eyeing him from head to toe. “The doctor is in there, but she ordered me to not disturb her until nine o’clock, so you’ll have to wait a little longer.”

Marcus gave her a knowing smile, understanding her ruse just so she can prolong their conversation. “I wish I could stay longer _Doris_ ,” he said, emphasizing the requested use of her name, “but Dr. Hawkins specifically told me to be here earlier than nine o’clock because she’d be very busy for the rest of the day, and she’d like to meet the new addition to the team.” He added, glancing in my direction.

Now Doris cannot ignore my presence anymore. “Oh, is she the analyst?” she asked. “She doesn’t seem the type.”

I smiled, holding out a hand in greeting. “Anna Schmidt. Pleased to meet you.” Doris took a folder from her desk, stood up from her seat and shook my hand briefly, turning her back on us as she knocked on Dr. Hawkins’ office while I give Marcus a disapproving look. He shouldn’t lead the poor woman on like that. He just shrugged off his behavior and stepped inside the office, smiling sweetly at Doris as she closed the door behind us after giving the folder to her boss.

The woman, which I can only conclude to be Dr. Hawkins, was typing on her computer when she heard us come in. Her eyes fleeted from the screen to our direction and back to the screen again, focusing on the work that she's doing.

From what I’ve read, Dr. Hawkins is an outstanding biochemist working in the field of neurochemistry, particularly on the effects of chemical imbalances in the brain and its effects on memory, mood, and overall wellness of a person. I admit I’ve come across her work a few times when I was studying and was amazed on their developments in the field of neurology and neurochemistry.

“Don’t push your luck, Marcus. I will not tolerate that kind of behavior while you’re working with me.” She said sternly. I smirked at Marcus who looked scolded. “Are you the analyst?” She asked, looking at me.

Standing up straight and clearing my throat, I introduced myself. “Anna Schmidt, Ma’am.” She looked straight into my eyes, like she’s trying to find a weakness in them. I tried not to blink.

She looked at the folder that Doris gave which probably contained my personal information. “You have a child?”

I nodded, a bit nervous at the line of her questioning, knowing that the kid’s father is right behind me.

“Yes Ma’am, he’s five years old. The father’s dead.” I said in a matter-of-fact way, trying not to glance at Marcus and give Dr. Hawkins a hint.

Dr. Hawkins’ features smoothen a bit when she heard this, sitting up straight on her chair. She seemed fit and strong even on an age of fifty.

“There seems to be only two types of men nowadays. The dead and the irresponsible.” She said, eyeing Marcus with a bit of accusation. “My daughter, Andrea, also have a son of the same age from one. Hard to believe but she’s still expecting a girl from the same man.”

I bit my trembling lips in protest, preventing myself from laughing. I guess Dr. Hawkins and I will get along well.

Marcus tried to take himself out of the narrative and lighten up the mood. “The first or the second one, Ma’am?” he asked innocently.

Dr. Hawkins rolled her eyes at Marcus while I gave him an exasperated look. “The first one, Marcus, if the dead can still use their cock.” That did trick and I burst out laughing while Marcus grinned sheepishly. Dr. Hawkins smiled back, easing the tension of our meeting.

The doctor stood up from her seat and held out a hand which I shook firmly. “Welcome to the team Ms. Schmidt. Doris will take you to your office and Marcus will give you a rundown of what we do here.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. I will work hard.” I said reassuringly.

She nodded and sat back on her seat, adding, “Your first task is to keep Marcus away from our young Doris. Or the other way around, whichever happens first.”

“You can count on that, Doctor.” I said as I close the door to her office.

********

**_28 th of October 1990_**

“I’ve been seeing you quite frequently these days, Anna.” Alan said as he handed me the glass of beer I ordered.

Taking a gulp of the beverage, I asked him, “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

“Depends on how you look at it. I, for that matter, am not complaining – just wondering as to why.” He said as he wiped the dripping beverage out of the dispenser and sat across from me at the counter.

I stared at Alan and wondered when I have come to like him. Just like any other man he is straightforward when he likes someone but doesn’t force them to make conversations with him. When it came to a point that you’re making a good conversation, he listens intently and doesn’t impose his views on the matter.

“It’s just that work has been a bit hectic lately. I just need to de-stress.” I said, sighing my frustrations as I drink.

He leaned closer to me as he explained, “You know I’ve been hearing a bit of a buzz about the center lately – I forgot if it was from Paul’s police friends. Silvia Queen is gushing at their table last night taking notes. She said she’ll use it for her next book called _Midnight in Duskwood_.”

I raised an eyebrow when I heard Paul’s name. “What exactly is it that you’ve been hearing?”

“That your team is going all Frankenstein over at the facility?”

I chuckled. “What – do you mean we give life to dead things?”

“Something to that effect.” He grinned.

I finished my glass before I asked him back, “Do you believe I can give life to dead things?”

He stared at me for a while, a hint of a smirk forming on his lips. “I believe you already did.”

“Alright, things like what?” I urged him on.

His response was straightforward. “My heart, for example.” The chuckle I let out was instantaneous and he can’t help but smile sheepishly.

“I hate that I just laughed at the corniest joke I’ve heard in a while.” I jested.

“It still worked as intended, so no offense taken.” He responded, filling my glass again.

It became a habit – me going to the Aurora whenever I am free and just talking with Alan. I told him mostly about me and Jake, but I never mentioned Marcus to him or anything about the facility and the work we’re doing. He seemed to genuinely care for Jake like I do and understands why I had to work instead of looking after him.

In the few months that we have known each other I’ve learned to trust him, and before we knew it, we have fallen in love with each other.

One day, after a night of passionate lovemaking, he asked me if I want to bring Jake with me and live with him – permanently.

“I’m not sure if letting Jake live with a bar owner is a good idea for his upbringing. And frankly, I would be irritated to see you flirt with every lady customer that comes to the Aurora. It wouldn’t end well.” I joked as I nuzzle against the hollow of his neck while he strokes my back affectionately.

“It’s not as bad as living near a motel, if I say so myself.” He bantered, pulling me closer. “And Jake can learn a few things about women from me.”

“He’s five. You’re thinking too far ahead.”

“Alright, let’s start with the foreseeable future, then.” He said, pulling me out of his embrace and looking at me intently, “Marry me.”

I never thought that the weight of two words could make me feel hopeful and anxious at the same time. “Are you asking me or are you telling me?”

“In the short but wonderful time that we’ve been together, have I ever told you what to do?”

“In the last few hours alone it’s been too many to count.” I remarked and we both laughed at the innuendo.

“Look who’s talking about raising Jake properly.” He added, grinning as he leaves kisses in the slope of my neck. “But I’m serious, Anna. I want us to be together and be a family.”

I moved from my side of the bed and straddled him, chest to chest as I ran a hand through his hair. “Alright, let’s get married then.” It was all I could say at that moment. “But we would have to wait a little bit more. I have to finish what I do at the facility.” I said, pulling him in for a tender kiss.

Alan wrapped a hand at the nape of my neck as he deepened the kiss, the other hand pulling me closer by the waist. “I’m not going anywhere.” He murmured, rolling us over and pinning me under him.

As his lips trailed along my jawline, littering it with kisses, he said, smirking, “In the meantime, let me tell you the things I want you to do.”

********

**_15 th of December 1990_**

****

“You have no right to do this, Marcus.”

He was talking to Paul Rogers when I burst into his office, my anger seething. Marcus has prevented me from communicating with anyone outside the facility ever again, because he thought I was too friendly with the owner of the bar Aurora, Alan Millan. They stopped talking immediately as I entered the room, Paul looking wary.

“It’s good that you’re here, Paul. Let me ask you a question - do you still work for Dr. Hawkins or do you work for Marcus now? Because the last time I checked, your pay slip is still signed under her name.” I quipped, shifting my gaze to Marcus. “And you – this is illegal; in case you don’t know that yet. I can have you arrested. Do you even understand what this means to my son?”

Marcus took a deep breath and dismissed Paul, who nodded abruptly and stepped out of the office, followed by Marcus, locking his office door closed and putting the window blinds down.

“Paul received intelligence that someone among us is leaking information about this place at the Aurora. Do you really want Dr. Hawkins to find out that her favorite analyst has been consorting with its owner?” he said, the accusation evident on his tone.

My mouth twisted in a sneer at his words. “ _Consorting_? How dare you! I have been working my ass off this place, looking after the patients around the clock.” I paused, reining in my anger. “The relationship I have with Alan has nothing to do with this place and it’s also none of your business.” Ending the conversation, I turned around and headed for the door.

Marcus snatched my wrist in a tight grip, angry at the mention of Alan’s name on my lips. “You feel so strongly for that man, don’t you think?”

“Is that it, then? You’re doing all of this because you’re jealous?” I demanded, pulling my hand free from his grasp. “You don’t own me, Marcus. You decided to stay out of my private affairs a long time ago. Don’t stop now.”

I walked briskly back into my office, passing by the corridor going to Dr. Hawkins’. Something moved from my peripheral vision which got me walking to the doctor’s office instead, finding Paul and Doris hiding against the space where the fire extinguisher is located. If I wasn’t angry then, I am now.

Pulling Paul away from Doris, I told him, “You should be ashamed of yourself. Doris is barely the age of twenty, and you have the audacity to lay your dirty hands on her.” I said, disgusted.

Doris didn’t appreciate being interrupted, pushing me away from Paul. “You aren’t exactly the model for innocence and virtue, Anna. Mind your own business.”

It seemed like a good idea to ignore Doris at that moment, so I did, scolding Paul instead. “Just so we’re clear Paul, don’t think that I don’t know that it was you who’s leaking information about this place – bragging to your police friends how great you are to keep this facility a secret. Then, you poisoned Marcus’ mind into believing that it was me who did it. How twisted can your mind get?”

“We all have our own work, Anna, and mine is to ensure that the only thing people know about this place is what happens upstairs. But I guess you don’t care about others losing their job since you’ve successfully wormed your way up to Dr. Hawkins’ good graces, haven’t you?” Paul said, eyeing me with contempt.

“Instead of putting words into my mouth, why don’t you take your own advice and do your work properly instead of flirting around with your boss’ secretary and bragging about how _great_ you are, Paul?” I retorted. “That way you’d get into Dr. Hawkins’ good graces which you crave so badly.”

I walked back to my office with an anger so bad I wanted to throw things around the place. Time is running out. I should’ve taken the risk and gave Allan the briefer when I sent him the letter. Focusing on my next steps instead of my anger, I took a deep breath and walked over to my computer, taking an empty floppy disk from the desk drawer, and copying the briefer about the project into it. Alan needs to get this at all costs.

A knock on the door startled me from my work, and I look up to see Ulric peeking through the window. I tried to remain calm and made him not aware of what I was doing as I called him in, carefully covering the processor with my notepad to hide the disk inserted into it as he closed the door behind me.

“Sorry, I can’t help but overhear your conversation with Paul. I was at the lab at the time.” He said sheepishly. The chemistry lab is next to Dr. Hawkins’ office. Even if the laboratory is fully equipped to deal with accidents and spills, it’s not exactly soundproof.

Among the team, I work the most with Dr. Ulric Barret. He provides the overall direction for the project while also working closely with Dr. Hawkins. He’s a bit older than I am, but we work seamlessly. Maybe that’s also one of the reasons why Paul and Marcus are jealous – the competition for glory and recognition is getting into their heads and it’s getting destructive.

“It’s alright, Dr. Barret.” I said as I offered him a seat and went to get a cup of coffee from the dispenser. “What brings you here?”

“I just wanted to check on you. You seemed to be in too much stress these days.” He remarked, looking at me with a doctor’s eyes who’s trying to find out what’s wrong with his patient. “Too much caffeine?” he asked, looking at the cup in my hands.

I laughed nervously. “You think so? To be honest, this is the only addiction I have – coffee. I appreciate your concern, but I can handle this. They just need to leave me alone and let me do my work – speaking of which, is it true you have already found out how to make the drug for aerosol dispersal?” I asked, trying to sound genuinely amazed.

In my line of work, I’ve found out that men like it when you boost their ego, and in Dr. Barret’s case – his intellectual prowess. Albeit a bit bashful and unassuming, he likes to brag about his work, particularly when he discovered something which he thought no one else would.

“Yes, I’m glad that you asked. I’ve been itching to tell you about it since I found out. Of course, I had to inform Dr. Hawkins first.” He said excitedly as went on to explain his findings.

“That’s great – real great work Dr. Barret. And then the pipes are going to be installed where?” I asked afterward.

He looked uncomfortable with the question. “I think you should be asking Engr. Donfort about that instead of me.”

Feigning innocence, I commented, “I trust that you don’t believe in the things that Paul is saying about me. I wouldn’t betray Dr. Hawkins and the team like that. I just want to get a good perspective on the extent of things.”

He looked guilty of suspecting me, and I’m glad the ruse worked. “Of course, I trust you.” He said, tapping a hand on my knee. I tried very hard ignore it, flashing a sad smile to express my disappointment.

“There are three pipes to be installed: one at the clearing near Rogers’s Garage, the other one near Blackwater Lake, and the other one in the marketplace. That one, however, is going to be trickier than others.”

They’re putting a pipeline in the heart of Duskwood. I can’t believe it. “How will you manage to install it without suspicion?” I inquired further.

Dr. Barret shrugged like they have planned it all out and there’s nothing to worry about. “I heard Marcus saying he could easily convince the people that he’s putting a drainage pipe to accommodate water from the lake downstream.”

“Brilliant.” I remarked. Dr. Barret smiled and looked proud of himself.

“We’re so close Anna. I am excited to see what will happen.” He said as he heads out of my office. “Well, if you’re okay, I’m returning to the lab to recheck my formulas before we do some pilot testing. Would you like to join me?”

I looked back to my computer and said, “I’d love to, but I have to finish some paperwork. I’d follow right behind you.”

Before he closed the door, he added, “They’re having a party for the holidays at the Aurora next weekend, are you free? I heard you’re friends with the owner.”

I tried to look cheerful, saying, “Alan? I’m not so sure about that, I’m just a regular customer.”

“Oh, really? I was hoping you could get us free drinks.” Dr. Barret quipped, winking. “Well, see you later.”

“Later then, Dr. Barret.” I replied.

Time is a luxury I do not have right now. I must get this information to Alan immediately.

********

**_22 nd of December 1990_**

****

Dr. Hawkins let the patients out of the wellness center to meet their families for the holidays, leaving only the team to continue with our work in the basement. Tonight, everyone is at the Aurora prematurely celebrating the success of the study. Marcus has completed the piping works ahead of schedule, which Dr. Hawkins is very happy to hear.

The patient in the basement with emerald eyes, Inge Schulz, died after a manic episode caused by the drug that Dr. Hawkins created and Dr. Barret administered. How many more patients must die from this inhumane treatment, just to prove that we can cure the human mind of its sickness? And now they’re going to make use of Duskwood residents? I can’t let that happen, so I did what I had to do.

I burned the wellness center. It would take a while before somebody notices and send the firefighters to stop it. Hopefully, the basement has already been exposed.

Following the schematic diagram I got from Marcus’ drawing plans, I walked on the makeshift tunnel they made to put the pipes for aerosol dispersal. It turns out that Dr. Barret was right. The pipe I followed led to a passage into the forest past Blackwater Lake. I haven’t checked the others near Rogers’ garage and the marketplace.

Taking the map I made, I marked the areas where the pipes lead with a symbol of the raven, which commonly symbolizes death, instead of a skull, so that only Alan will understand the reference. I purposely wrote a postscript in my last letter to let him know that I’m sending another message. This time, I wrote on the seams of the pages the word “pipes”.

I thought of how best to give Alan this map since it would be too obvious if I just hand out a piece of paper while we’re drinking at the Aurora. I stared at the lake, moonshine reflected on the water’s surface. Suddenly, I remembered I bought him a wristwatch as an engagement gift. We’re planning to announce it to the team later at the party and inform them that I’m leaving the study. I folded the map neatly and inserted it in the space between the watch holder and the box.

As I returned the gift back in my coat pocket, I heard twigs breaking behind me. Turning around to face the inevitable, I saw the face of the person I least expected at this moment.

“Dr. Hawkins.” I said carefully, looking into her eyes which have been swollen with tears.

“What have you done, Anna?” she asked, her voice trembling, stepping closer.

I backed away from her slowly, stopping only when the I stepped on the freezing water of the lake. “My conscience cannot take Inge’s death, Julia. This is not right.” I said, trying to reason out with her.

“What is Inge’s life compared to the hundreds we could save from her death?” she asked, indignant. “Why do you think we experience famine? Tragedy? Worldwide sickness? It is nature’s remedy to cure itself of its illness. Us humans are trying to cure it, but it isn’t enough. Sooner or later people are going to have to make real sacrifices to save future generations. Humans will not do it voluntarily, and so, like nature, I take it upon myself to do it for them.” She said, sounding a bit manic.

“This obsession is consuming you, Julia. We haven’t even perfected the drug, and you still want to release it here in Duskwood, to the residents!” I shouted, which seemed to bring her back to her senses.

I approached her carefully, holding both of her hands. “Let’s start over again, Julia. We can still make this right. We don’t need to hide it in the basement.” I explained, embracing her while she cried.

She hugged me back, the way a mother would hug her child. “I’m sorry, Anna.” She said, plunging a pointed object to my arm, which turned out to be a syringe filled with a liquid I cannot recognize.

The effect was instantaneous. I suddenly felt nauseous, trying to catch my breath.

“NO, WE CAN’T DO THIS ALL OVER AGAIN! Do you think the government is paying to see us fail? In my career, I have never given up on a project, I certainly wouldn’t now!”

I keeled over at the lake shore, feeling the cold which had nothing to do with the freezing lake. My vision started to blur, and I can feel my limbs weakening.

“You’re just a piece in this game, Anna and unfortunately for you, I intend to sacrifice even my most valuable piece just to win.” She said. “I treated you like my own child, and this is what you give me in return? You disappoint me.” She wiped the syringe with her handkerchief and positioned it in my hands, making it look like I did this to myself.

The last thing I saw was the moonlight shining, and Julia’s footsteps leaving me behind the forest.

This is it. I tried to embrace my impending doom as I feel my body shut down. There’s no point in fighting it. I’m only speeding it up.

I thought of Alan and how sorry I am of letting him down.

I thought of Jake and how I would never see him grow up.

I thought of their smiles until I took my last breath, leaving everything behind.

********

**_23 rd of December 1990_**

It was the saddest day of my life.

A police officer knocked on the door of my house that morning, asking me to come with them to give a statement. I inquired as to the nature of their request and told me that a dead woman was found in the lake earlier. When they searched the body for identification, they found a box containing a wristwatch with my name engraved in the back. I felt all the heat and feeling leave my body when I realized who it was.

After giving them the statement, another police officer took me to the morgue to identify the body. I proceeded slowly, still in shock of what’s happening. When they removed the blanket to show me the face, my shoulder slacked off and a sob hitched in my throat.

It was Anna, her face pale as death can be.

The coroner said that it was suicide, that she injected herself with an overdose of a muscle relaxant. I tuned him out, focusing only on memorizing her face. He then proceeded on giving me the box they found in her coat pocket. I didn’t even bother to look at it. I just tucked it inside my coat while taking out the smaller box I’ve been keeping in my coat all night.

That’s when I asked the coroner a question. “Last night, we were supposed to announce our engagement, so I brought this ring, but she didn’t show up. Can I still put this on her finger?”

He nodded and headed out the door, giving me a much-needed privacy.

I took the ring from the box and reached for her left hand, which were now too cold to the touch. Her hands were always warm, no matter the weather. It really felt like she had left me.

The diamond ring fitted perfectly on her ring finger, the gem in the middle of the simple, thin gold band reflecting light from the fluorescent light of the morgue.

I didn’t recognize the man sobbing in front of her after that. It didn’t feel like me. I felt detached from the present, like an out of body experience.

I kept telling her I was sorry I couldn’t protect her. That I was sorry to let her down and not there when she needed me the most.

Before leaving the morgue, I pressed a kiss to her forehead and promised her this – that I am not going anywhere, and that I will wait, no matter how long it takes.

When I reached my house, I sat at the dining table still in disbelief.

Taking out the box from my pocket and opening it, I found the wristwatch they were talking about. My name was indeed engraved at the back of the watch and it made me cry again knowing that Anna would’ve given me this last night.

I accidentally took the watch along with the holder, and a neatly folded paper fell out of the box. It had Anna’s handwriting on it, just like her last letter.

At that moment it dawned on me that Anna hadn’t committed suicide but was murdered. This was her last message. A message of warning.

She never told me what was going on in the wellness center, but it didn’t escape my notice that it is something deeply confidential. In her last letter, she told me to beware the sign of the raven, and now her last warning is a map containing raven symbols and the word _pipes_.

She wanted me to get this message out, I knew it. She wanted to warn me, and knowing Anna, I guess she wanted to warn the population of whatever this is.

Walking to the kitchen where the phone is, I dialed the number of the person whom I know will have the best means of disseminating this message without being obvious.

“Hey, Alan, I’m sorry for your loss. Do you need anything?”

“I need you to write me a story, Silvia.”

Thus, the story of the Man without a Face began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you believe I teared up while writing this chapter? Anna, although not originally part of the game, is a character close to my heart.
> 
> I think I just widened our list of possible suspects 😂😂 who do you think is the Man without a Face? 
> 
> I made a Spotify playlist for this work, if you'd like to listen to it, here's the link: 
> 
> https://link.tospotify.com/cXtEwJD7Dbb
> 
> Thank you! ❤️❤️


	18. The Old Building by the Lake

> __
> 
> **Ich möchte Sie, so gut ich es kann, bitten, Geduld zu haben gegen alles Ungelöste in Ihrem Herzen.**
> 
> __
> 
> _I would like to ask you, as best as I can, to be patient against everything unresolved in your heart._
> 
> __

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Of all the alcohol-induced ramblings that my mind spouted, it was one of Rilke’s words that brought me calm. The feeling of uncertainty that washed over me after I read those documents made me feel unsure of everything I know until now – instead of finding answers, I found myself opening more questions. Instead of finding the shore, I found myself swimming into deeper waters from which I can never go back.

__

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It made me realize that Jessy was right – there is a large, heavy shadow hanging above our heads and instead of shedding light upon it, that shadow has caught up to me.

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I didn’t realize how long I was contemplating about all these things until I heard a loud bang on the door as Phil entered the room. I looked at my phone to check the time, and it’s half past one o’ clock in the morning. Jake still hasn’t contacted me yet, and I am beginning to worry.

__

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“What happened? Where’s the other one?” Phil inquired, alarmed of the state he found me in. He glanced at the documents that lay on the table and looked back at me, concerned. “What did you find out?”

__

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I ignored his questions, feeling a bit suspicious of everyone related to this project.

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“Hawkins is not your father’s surname, is it?” I asked, glancing at the document again before looking at Phil.

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“You ask weird questions.” He walked towards me and sat on the empty chair that Jake left. “But yes, it isn’t. We’ve been using my grandmother’s surname. Unfortunately, our family has been littered with jerks starting from my grandfather. My grandmother decided that her descendants must keep her name. That’s why Jessy and I have the same surname even if we’re only half-siblings.”

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“When did you start working at the Aurora?” I continued.

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“Is this an interrogation or are you just curious?” He joked, “Should I wear one of those lie-detecting contraptions –”

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“I’m not really in the mood, Phil, so please, just answer the question.” I replied, my voice irritated but tired. I’ve got no time for charades. I want the truth – and I want it now.

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He was taken aback by my impatience, shifting with a serious look on his face. “Alright.” He paused, thinking where to start. “I think it was more than a decade ago. We came here in Duskwood when I was nineteen. I was really pissed that we must move here since I’ve already made friends back in Colville and I just finished my studies. I wanted to stay away from the family, so, one night, while having a drink here at the Aurora, Alan approached and offered me the job. I was surprised since I’m new to town, but he didn’t think anything of it. He said I looked like I could use it.” He smiled, remembering Alan fondly.

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“Did it ever occur to you that, maybe, Alan knows you and your family? Duskwood is a small town, after all. Everyone knows someone related to somebody.” I asked, unsure how to break the news to him.

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He shrugged, trying to remember that day. “I didn’t get that impression from him that time.” He glanced at the documents by my side, curious. “Now that I have answered your questions, am I now allowed to ask the reason that you’re suddenly interested?”

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“Where’s your mother now, Phil? Do you have any idea where she is?”

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His eyes widened in shock when I mentioned his mother, suddenly annoyed. “Why are you bringing her up now?”

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“Because I believe your mother has something to do with everything that’s happening here in Duskwood. Maybe there’s a reason she left you and your sisters all those years ago.” I guessed. Somehow, it fit perfectly with what Jessy said to me.

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“Is that what Jessy told you – that our mother left us? What an utter lie.” He exclaimed.

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“Then, explain this to me.” I said, handing him the document. He looked at it with an annoyed look on his face which suddenly turned into confusion upon reading the briefer. “It’s an experiment conducted here in Duskwood almost thirty years ago. That woman, Anna Schmidt, died months after they started the experiment. Look who's the head of that experiment –” I added, pointing to her name, “That’s your mother, right?”

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He looked at the portion that I directed, confusion visibly shown on his face. “But that’s impossible.” He murmured.

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“I think your mother left to continue the experiment. Now, Hannah is missing. We need to find your mother.”

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He looked exasperated. “Will you stop including my mother in this? She will never do this kind of thing. She didn’t abduct anyone. You want to know why? Because my mother’s dead, Maddie. She killed herself, and if you want to see her, look for Andrea Hawkins’ headstone in the cemetery outside of town.” Phil said, uttering the last sentence with bitterness, like he still can’t accept it.

__

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Did Jessy lie to me? “Then Julia Hawkins –”

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“Julia Hawkins is my grandmother. And if Jessy also lied to you about her, then I’m telling you now – she’s also dead. She died a year before Jessy finished her studies.”

__

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I guess that part is the only thing that’s true about what Jessy told me about her family.

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We remained silent for a while, letting the awkwardness of the conversation dissipate. It’s difficult to bring up these memories – it’s a lot more so under these circumstances.

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“I’m sorry about them, Phil.” I finally said, offering a belated condolence.

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Phil nodded, keeping his eyes on the briefer to keep himself from looking at me. “I’m sorry about them, too.” He said, his lips turning into a pout that showed his sorrow. He set the briefer back down the table and noticed the letter written by Anna Schmidt, reading it carefully.

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“Jake – he’s the man with you, right? You mentioned him earlier when you took the drinks.” He noted. I sighed and nodded in agreement. He did remember, after all. “He’s Anna Schmidt’s son.”

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“Yes, he is.” I admitted. “It’s all a big mess which I think started after her mother’s death.”

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He ignored what I said, still reading through the letter. “Beware the sign of the raven. You mean that of the legend?” He asked.

__

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“Yes. The legend of the Man Without a Face. It is written in the book _Midnight in Duskwood_ by S. Queen.”

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“Do you mean Silvia Queen? She’s a close friend of Alan.” Phil mentioned.

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It all became clearer now. “Something happened to Anna Schmidt while she’s trying to expose the experiment. She turned to Alan, but I’m guessing it was too late – she died before she can expose them. Considering that this experiment involves the whole Duskwood community, I could only think that Alan asked for Silvia’s help to tell everyone not to go to the forest by introducing this legend of the Man Without a Face.” I concluded.

__

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Taking all the documents and the letter, I put it in my bag and turned off the computer. “I need to tell them what’s happening. Maybe, the reason we’re not getting anywhere in finding Hannah is because it’s the Duskwood government that’s trying to hide her – because she knows something.”

__

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As I headed to the door, Phil caught my wrists in a hard grip. “You should think this through, Maddie. Don’t tell anybody yet – you don’t know who can be trusted. Not even your friend, Jake.” Letting go of my hand, his eyes darted back to the old computer. “Even Alan didn’t tell anyone – not even me, but where is he now? He’s missing, too.”

__

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I can understand their doubts about Jake – admittedly, I have them, too. However, they don’t know Jake’s motives in finding Hannah, and I can’t give up that information that easily.

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“I know you doubt Jake, but I must tell you that I have doubts about you, too. You’re Julia Hawkins’ grandchild, after all. But I figured, Alan will not trust you with the Aurora and this computer if he thinks you are involved in this.” I explained. “This is the only thing I can tell you about Jake, Phil – he will not harm Hannah. I know it.”

__

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Phil shook his head, confused. “I don’t even want to know what’s happening between the two of you, but it seems that I cannot change your mind about him. I hope you’ll reconsider it, though. All of these seem troublesome to me, and I don’t really want to be part of that.”

__

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“I will be careful, Phil. Don’t worry.” I said as I left the basement and out of the Aurora.

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As I walked back to the motel, my phone pinged continuously as the delayed messages came in. Most of it is from Jake, and another one from Dan.

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**D A N**

Yesterday 9:27 PM

Hey, they’re letting me out of the hospital tomorrow. Isn’t that great?

DAN IS NOW OFFLINE

  


__

I set that message aside as I look through Jake’s messages.

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**J A K E**

Today 12:17 AM

I’m sorry I left in a hurry.

I owe you an explanation.

I’ll be waiting.

8

JAKE IS NOW OFFLINE

  


He must be talking about Room 8, my lodgings back in the motel. I returned the phone back into my bag and walked briskly to get there as soon as possible. While walking, I tried to think about my next steps, given all the information that I have now. I thought about the Man Without a Face. He is definitely male – I saw his hands when he attacked Jessy – they were slender, steady, and a bit muscular. Not of an old man’s, since they were not wrinkled like you’d expect from someone of that age. Then, I thought about his motives – the Man Without a Face in the legend is a vengeful entity – an executioner of sorts, bent on delivering justice to those who have wronged him. The Man Without a Face that Alan wanted to show is a guardian, aimed at saving people’s lives from whatever is going on in the forest.

I was tired and my head hurt when I reached the motel. Upon opening the door, I noticed that only the lamp shade near the bed was turned on and Jake was sitting next to it. His hands covered his head like he’s preventing it from exploding from the amount of information we found in the basement. He looked up when he heard me put my keys on the worktable, the dark circles on his eyes emphasized by lamp light.

Walking up to him with a heavy heart, I pulled him in a tight hug, his arms encircling my waist as I card my fingers through his hair.

__

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********

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It was the last thing I expected her to do at that moment.

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My head was swimming with thoughts when I heard her come in, her eyes as weary as her posture. I waited for the accusations to come from her mouth but instead, she held me in a tight embrace, her fingers gently running through my hair. I buried my face into her abdomen, just breathing her rosy scent that mingled with the cold outside.

__

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“I’m sorry about your mother.” She whispered softly, running a hand on my back as she comforted me.

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We stayed like that for a long while, feeling each other’s presence. I can feel her waiting for me to say something, but somehow, I know she wanted me to acknowledge my pain first before I can share it with anybody else.

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I pulled her in to sit next me on the bed, taking her hand in mine as if to borrow some of her courage.

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“The shock that came over me when I read those documents was overwhelming – it suffocated me, made me feel trapped that I needed to leave that place. I don’t understand what happened. I was in front of the motel when I realized that I left you.”

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She covered our intertwined hands with the other one, tracing the outline of our knuckles that were held together.

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“I loved my mother – I was too young to remember, but I know it in my heart. I can’t remember her face as well as before, but I can still feel how warm she hugged me, and how sweet her smile was. She always called me “ _My Boy_ ” affectionately.” I continued, remembering the last memories I had with my mother.

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I looked at her with a guilty looked on my face. “I left you alone in there. I’m sorry.”

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“No, I understand. It’s okay.” She shook her head slowly, her lips curving into a sad smile.

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“I thought you will be angry at me – throw accusations because I am the son of the woman who died trying to expose the experiment. I would understand if you thought of that.”

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She sighed, the tension leaving her shoulders. “I must admit I panicked a bit when I came back and found that you’ve left, and the backdoor was also wide open. I thought something bad happened to you.” We stayed silent for a while, taking each other in.

__

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“However, I learned from someone that I must not let my emotions take over me.” She continued, looking into my eyes as if remembering the last time she almost let her emotions cloud her judgment. It was when the Man Without a Face took a video of Cleo running through the forest.

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I snorted, the corner of my lips flicking upwards in a small smile. “Maybe you could introduce him to me, sometimes.”

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We both laughed softly, easing the weight of the day’s events. I never knew the feeling of having someone to carry your load with you. It’s not easy for me to let anyone into what I was thinking, but with Maddie, it was as easy as breathing. I’ve been trying so hard not to be noticed, but with her I felt seen and I find that I don’t mind at all.

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Thinking of nothing else to repay her trust and patience, I pulled her face to mine and claimed her lips, one hand pressing her closer by the small of her back. She kissed me back in return, her hands circling the back of my neck.

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It felt so foreign, having these kinds of affections in a small amount of time. At first, I thought it was just the effect of the tense situation we’re in, but as I lay her gently down the bed, our lips never leaving each other’s, I thought of the possibility of us meeting in a different circumstance. Would it have been the same? Would I feel as strongly for her as I do right now?

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We broke apart for air, looking at each other’s eyes as we even out our breathing.

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“We need to find their lab as soon as possible. I think Hannah was being held there.” She said after a while, still tired but back in business. Yes, I am definitely smitten.

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I chuckled softly, running a hand through her face. “Alright, but maybe after you’ve slept. You’re not exactly a night owl. And I’m afraid that Emma will call the cavalry once you missed answering your phone.”

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She yawned as if on cue, smiling as she closed her eyes. “Yes, that’s a great idea.” She trailed off, drifting to sleep.

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As I settled beside her on the bed, I started looking for clues as to the location of the laboratory where they conducted the experiment. We still haven’t explored the areas that Hannah took a picture of, so that will be our priority for tomorrow.

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I looked at each of Richy and Jessica’s profiles, trying to find something that might help. Richy is suddenly interested in Maddie’s findings while Jessica, on the other hand, is noticeably quiet. I’m never one to rely heavily on a hunch, but I can’t shake the feeling that something’s amiss.

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I scrolled through Jessica’s profile when one image caught my attention. It looks like an old building in the middle of a clearing.

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Taking my laptop, I started looking for the image’s location, and as I typed in the coordinates, I found something interesting.

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It’s near Blackwater Lake.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I've been busy with work, and I've been collecting notes and images for the remaining plotline 😉 Thank you very much for your patience, and I hope you'll be entertained with this one!
> 
> You know your comments are giving me the boost to write, so I don't mind receiving them hehehe. Stay safe, and enjoy this chapter! ❤❤


	19. Pandora's Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the image on the chat message you're about to see is clickable. It will open on another window so that you can see the full image.
> 
> Do you know how hard it is for me to understand and write in HTML?? Thanks to the good people of AO3, I can copy-paste CSS codes to achieve those messages and images you see in the story. Sometimes it doesn't work as I intended, so I make a few tweaks here and there.
> 
> To the good people of AO3, @CodeNameCarrot and @selfishlaundry, I offer my biggest **KUDOS**!!!
> 
> Also, thank you very much for your messages on the last chapter. I love getting feedback from my readers. It makes my heart swell with joy 💗💗
> 
> I hope you'll like this chapter! Thank you for reading!

The early morning chill of autumn is slowly getting to me. I burrowed my hands deeper into the pockets of my jacket, fidgeting where I stand, hiding at the back of her house. After a while, she slowly opened the backdoor and closed it behind her.

“I want to finish this, once and for all. It has to be today.” I said, looking at her with a determined look.

“You’re asking too much of me in such as short amount of time. If we fail, it will be dangerous for all of us.” She replied, unsure.

“I believe in you. I know this is hard, but it’s the only way to lure her out. You need to trust me.” I said, hiding back to where I was against their backdoor as a car drove past the street.

She hesitated, thinking of any other alternative and finding none. She looked back at me and said, “Alright. Let’s do it.”

********

I slept like a log last night, it felt like my brain was so overloaded with information yesterday that it just decided to shut down. Not even an earthquake might have woken me up.

Rolling out of bed, I wiped the sleep off my puffy face and went to the bathroom to wash up, feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. The silence made me notice that Jake wasn’t anywhere to be found again. I checked if his bag pack is still there and found it under the worktable. Looking at the time and realizing that we can still have breakfast, I called room service and asked for food to be brought.

While waiting, I took my phone and plugged it in to charge when I saw a message from Jake.

**J A K E**

I just have something to check at the Dare House.

Letting you know in case you wake up and I’m not around.

JAKE IS NOW OFFLINE

Just woke up.

I ordered breakfast.

See you later.

  


I set my phone back at the worktable and looked at the information map, noticing that he added another place link. I recognized that old building from Jessy’s profile.

Jessy. I know it’s very unusual for me not to contact her since I got here. After all, she’s the closest to me out of all of them. She’s been nice and curious enough to help me answer the questions in my mind, even point out views that I might not see. It feels like I’m betraying her confidence in a way, and it doesn’t settle quite right with me.

I was about to call her when my phone rang, with Emma’s name showing on the screen. I put the call on speaker.

“Do you have an alarm set everyday just to check up on me?” I said cheerily even before she responded. She laughed but did not deny the thing with the alarm. She asked how I’m doing, and the progress of my investigation. I sighed in response, remembering the project and its effect on everyone I know that were involved. I told her about our plan to go the forest to look for clues from the photos on Hannah’s cloud and Jessy’s profile.

“We still haven’t decided how to tell everyone about this. The Duskwood government might be involved and I’m fairly sure they will not take kindly to strangers exposing their secrets.” I replied.

“The Duskwood government? That sounds dangerous.” She remarked, wary of the situation. “But you know what they say, the only way out of any situation is through it.”

That surprised me. “You’re not going to talk me out of it?” I asked, curious. It was then that the door opened, with Jake rolling the food cart inside the room. I peeked at the door and saw Old Gray, who smiled once he saw me. I smiled and waved back at him. Jake thanked Old Gray and closed the door behind him.

On the other line, Emma raised her voice, saying mockingly, “If I had known it has government conspiracy written all over it, I would have locked you inside your bathroom just so you can’t escape, Madeleine!”

Jake mouthed her name and I confirmed his guess, saying back to Emma, “Just so you know, bathrooms can only be locked from the inside.” I retorted. Jake snorted loud enough for her to hear.

“Don’t smart-mouth me, woman! Is that hacker boy I hear? Put him on the phone.” She ordered. I looked at Jake and raised an eyebrow, daring him to speak with Emma. He thought about it for a while then took the phone from his pocket, tapping on something.

“Hello, Emma.” Jake said, his voice suddenly deeper, just like in one of his calls.

Emma didn’t hesitate. “You better be on our side, hacker boy. One call from Maddie and I’m bringing the cavalry to that small town of yours.”

Before Jake can respond, she added, “and don’t tire her out every night, do you understand? It hasn’t been a week but every time I check on her, she sounds exhausted.”

“That’s totally inappropriate, Emma.” I quipped, embarrassed. She never lets up on her sexual innuendos.

“This will not go on for much longer, Emma. She’ll be back safe and sound.” Jake replied, looking back at me and smirking.

I rolled my eyes, tapping on the speaker icon and picking it up, “Okay Emma, that’s enough. I’ll call you if anything happens, alright? We gotta go. – Bye.”

Jake took the food I ordered from the cart and placed it on the coffee table. “I’m glad you slept well. We have lots to do today.”

I nodded in agreement, sipping on my coffee. “Yes, I saw the picture you added. Shall we go over the plan?” I asked.

Our plan is straightforward – expose Project RAVEN by telling everyone that it exists. Casting focus on the project is like projecting a beam of light on the shadow that’s trying to engulf us. The only problem is that we must find definitive proof about it in the forest, or it will be just a theory.

“Should we also tell them about you? Rule you out as a suspect? I bet they’ll be asking about Anna.” I asked, concerned.

Jake hesitated, swallowing a lump that formed on his throat. “That’s the last thing I want to do, but if the situation calls for it, then I will not object.”

After eating, we took another look at our information wall, then I picked my phone to chat with everyone.

**G R O U P C H A T**

Hey guys, can you come online?

DAN IS NOW ONLINE

Hey you. I texted you last night, you didn’t respond.

Sorry Dan, I was a bit preoccupied last night. I’m glad you’re getting out of the hospital today, though.

CLEO IS NOW ONLINE

You’re getting out of the hospital and you didn’t say anything? We could’ve celebrated your speedy recovery!

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SECRET, MADDIE.

Oh, was it? 😳 You didn’t tell me. Sorry.

THOMAS IS NOW ONLINE

LILLY IS NOW ONLINE

RICHY IS NOW ONLINE

So, what is it that you want to tell us, Maddie?

I didn’t tell you guys, but I’m here in Duskwood.

I arrived three days ago.

I’m staying at the motel.

And you didn’t tell us? Why?

I was doing an investigation on my own, and to be honest, I’m not sure who to trust.

But now, I want to discuss with you the things I found.

[](https://64.media.tumblr.com/5a0f4b7632130b73807d79a906107b2a/671272ba3ea645bd-10/s540x810/7b9f961a1fcb018e8f67f8499e65538de1a384c7.jpg)  
  


I think this is the root cause of Hannah’s disappearance.

This will be a bit of an information overload, so I’m sending it for you to see.

I think Hannah found something about the project.

And now the Duskwood government is trying to silence her.

This is ridiculous, Maddie. How do you plan to explain this to the authorities?

We’re going to the forest to get some clues to back up this claim.

We? Who is we?

  


I looked at Jake for confirmation, to which he nodded in agreement.

**G R O U P C H A T**

Jake.

Hacker dude?? You’re going to the forest with a shady character? I told you to stay away from him.

We don’t know who he is, Maddie. He could be using that as a cover up of his true motives.

I understand your point, Richy, but I’m sure Jake has nothing to do with it. He helped me find this document.

I knew it. It was him all along. Why do you insist on working with the kidnapper?

Maddie, this is getting out of hand.

Is he with you right now?

  


I expected them to react like this, but it’s still overwhelming to be bombarded with question after question.

We were interrupted with Jessy calling us. I pressed on the green button to accept her call. Everyone did the same. I sat at corner of the bed to get Jake out of the video frame.

She is in the forest. The woods were thick on her background, the red and orange hue of autumn behind her. I saw Richy shook his head and took his coat from the chair where he sat, saying he’s going to follow her and went offline immediately.

Jessy called Richy’s name but he was already offline. She continued on, “I’m glad the call got through. The internet connection was fluctuating in this part of the forest.” She said, her voice small and sounded worried. She continued walking, saying that after the attack on her she got convinced that the Man without a Face abducted Hannah, and she decided to go into the forest to take a look around for clues. Changing the view on her phone, she then showed us something we’re all familiar with.

It's the sign of the raven in one of Hannah’s cloud pictures.

“Jessy, it’s good that you found that, but it’s not an appropriate time to be in the forest right now.” Dan said. “Get out of there, now.”

“But we’re so close, Dan. Maybe Hannah’s somewhere near here!” She said, looking around, trying to find anything that might help us find Hannah.

She swiveled her phone to the right, and we all saw the Man without a Face.

Everyone shouted, calling Jessy’s name in surprise it was hard to determine which voice was which, but they all stood up from where they were seating, shocked to see him for real. Jessy shouted no, and her phone dropped, the overcast sky showing on the video. We heard them engaging in a scuffle then there was silence. Cleo and Dan called Jessy’s name but she wasn’t responding. Her line cut off after that.

When the attack on Jessy happened before my eyes, the surprise I felt was overwhelming but it was dampened when I saw her move and take her phone, but now, with everyone seeing the very same thing that happened to me with full terror in their eyes, it made me want to hide in fear.

Cleo went offline immediately, so did Thomas. Dan cursed before he went offline.

Lilly remained, shocked by what she saw.

She then turned to me, saying, “I shouldn’t have trusted you, Maddie. This is on you.” She accused.

I shook my head in denial. “Lilly, please think clearly. Jake is with me right now. How can you accuse us of this?!” I said, my voice desperate.

But it didn’t get through her. She was already convinced.

“I’m calling the police.” She said, her voice quivering, and ended the call.

Panic was setting in after that call ended. I cursed through my breath, shouting in frustration, “This is why I don’t trust your sister!”

“We need to go now, Jake!” I exclaimed as I tore down the information wall we made and snatched my coat and satchel from the rack. I glanced at him as I tear the papers into pieces, placing the printed briefer and Anna’s letter into my bag.

“Jake?” I asked, my voice frantic. He looked back at me, his voice eerily calm.

“This is where we part ways, Maddie.”

I looked confused. “What are you talking about? I’m not leaving you behind.” I said as I hold my satchel tighter, catching up on his train of thought.

“Don’t you see? It’s the perfect distraction.” He remarked, taking his laptop and turning it on, placing it on the worktable. Right on cue, the police siren rang in the distance as it nears the motel. I was ready to bolt through the door, but Jake wasn't willing to move from his seat. Instead, he handed me the picture of the old building by the lake.

“Go here instead of the woods with the sign of the raven. The Man without a Face would have left by now, you won’t find anything in there anymore. The locations are on the map, but you need to look at all of them quickly, because I’ll be deleting all our correspondence before they get a hold of my computer.” He said, his hands holding mine tightly.

My fight or flight response must be going haywire. Tears were threatening to pour out of my eyes, but I blinked them back and tried to look resolute.

“I know I said they won’t find me, but it’s not the case anymore. It’s you they shouldn’t find now.” He said, standing up from his seat, his eyes looking at mine intently, a hand cupping my cheek. “I will find you after this, okay? Trust me.”

My lips quivered in fear, betraying my poker face. “I trust you.”

He lips curved into a smile. “You can do this, Maddie. I know it.”

I can hear the car doors slam shut and the police sirens stopped ringing. Jake led me to the door and opened it, pushing me outside.

“You need to leave now. There's a side door at the kitchen going to the Dare House.” He said, looking back at the sliding door and glancing on the empty corridor.

As I was about to leave, he grabbed my hand back, pulling my face into his. “Give me one for the road.” He whispered, pressing his lips into mine.

“You’re unbelievable.” I said, pulling him in for another one before I ran to the kitchen, hearing the door close behind me.

********

After she left, I strode back into the worktable to delete all our correspondences and the contents of my laptop’s hard drive.

As I wait for the data to vanish, I sent a text to Thomas and Cleo, telling them to follow Maddie into the old building, sending them the coordinates before deleting the contents of my phone.

The police barged into the doors, their guns pointed at me, shouting “Put your hands in the air!”

I closed my laptop and set my phone down gently on the table, raising my hands above my head. A moment passed and they put the handcuffs into my wrists, read my rights and led me out of the motel.

********

I was busy scrolling through the map that Jake gave me before it vanishes from my phone as I walk to the kitchen. Old Gray might be able to help me once I get there, but instead I was startled by the woman standing against the side door.

It was Ms. Walter.

“Who is that man with you in the room?” she asked, the accusation evident in her voice.

I was debating whether to kick my way out of the motel, but Ms. Walter didn’t strike me as the impulsive woman who would shout murder at the first chance she gets.

“It’s a long story, Ms. Walter. You will probably see it in the newspaper anyway, so I’ll tell you now. His name is Jake, and he didn’t abduct Hannah.” I said slowly, inching towards the side door.

Ms. Walter’s face changed from confusion to recognition. “Jake? Anna Schmidt’s son? He’s alive?” she asked.

I was curious to know how she knew Anna and Jake, but time is very limited right now. In return, I nodded in response.

Ms. Walter walked towards me as she takes something from her pockets. It was a car key. She handed it to me gingerly, her hands closing around mine. “Take my car. It’s the dark blue one near the side door. Leave once the police have gone.”

“Why are you helping us?” I asked as she pushed me towards the exit.

Holding the door open and glancing to see if the area is clear, she led me outside before saying, “I owe Anna a great debt. I should’ve listened to her before, but I was too selfish back then.” She looked back at me; regret written on her face. “You can go now, there’s no one outside.”

I took her hand in appreciation. “I’ll try to bring it back in one piece.” I said, trying to lighten up the mood. She smirked at me, urging me to go on.

The dark blue car was easy to spot, so I ran into the driver’s side, sliding gently inside the car and locking myself in, my head down so I will not be seen through the windshield.

Peeking at the motel, I saw them leading Jake into the police car, his hands cuffed at the wrist. It made me angry at Lilly again. I debated on confronting her for once, but there are more important things right now. I looked on my phone and the messages have all been erased, even the map. It must be Jake’s doing.

After the police have gone, I started the car engine and drove off to Blackwater Lake.

********

Taking my phone and bag after I parked the car at the empty lot, I walked briskly into the lake path. If I remember correctly, the old building is located upstream of the waterbody. Walking further north, I saw a small bridge similar to that from Hannah’s cloud.

“Hannah, you’re a lifesaver.” I muttered, thanking her for her quick thinking. It was good that she decided to take pictures of important landmarks. I followed the dirt path after that, which led me to the old building.

The place looks sturdy despite its appearance, the paint flaking against the walls and the pipes rusting. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move from the end of the corridor. I walked towards it slowly, picking a small pipe that was left on the ground.

I stopped near the door frame, gripping the pipe tighter before I cross the room.

My swinging arm was met with resistance, the Man Without A Face emerging from the other side. His grip on the pipe was tight but I’m not going to give it to him that easily. Walking backwards to him without letting go, I stomped on his feet and jabbed the pipe to his chest with all my might, making him bend down. I wrapped my arms around his neck in a headlock. He pulled me by the waist as he crashed us against the wall, making me loosen my grip. As he escapes my hold, his mask made from jute bag fell, exposing his face.

I was seething with anger when I saw him.

“We meet at last, Richy.” I said, panting.

Richy smirked as he held the part where I jabbed the pipe, “How did you know it was me?”

I sighed, my stance ready. “I saw your hands when you went to the dare house and when you attacked Jessy. It’s filthy as ever.” I spat at him in anger.

He stood slowly, taking a breath. “You’re incredibly observant.” He said as he moved towards me. I braced as he pushed me hard against the wall again. “I’m sorry about this, Maddie.” He said as he punched me in the gut, taking the breath out of me.

The last thing I heard was the loud clang of metal and doors opening.

********

Thomas and I walk towards the Blackwater Lake, following the dot marked on his map.

“Are you sure about the numbers you received?” I asked as we walked further upstream.

“Yes Cleo, I took a screenshot of it this time, so I won’t lose it like Hannah’s message.” Thomas said, looking again at the map on his phone.

We both received a message from an unknown number, but it vanished before I even had a mind to write it down. Thomas texted me asking if I also received it, and it seems that only the two of us did.

It was unnerving to see the Man Without a Face attack. My hands were still shaking when Thomas went to see me at the Gate of Hope.

“I don’t think it was Jake that abducted Hannah, or even Jessy.” Thomas said out of nowhere while were walking.

“I don’t think so, either. Maddie told me about her theory when I saw her.” I said, remembering her suspicion of Richy.

Thomas stopped near a small bridge, asking, “How is it that a stranger knows more about Hannah than the both of us?”

I walked further into the dirt path, saying, “If Hannah doesn’t want us to know, it can only mean two things: it’s not important, or it’s very dangerous. This time, I’m leaning on the second.”

We reached the mark on his map, and sure enough, there’s an old building in the clearing.

“Do you know that this was here?” I asked Thomas.

He shook his head, clueless. “I haven’t been this far into the woods. And with that legend spooking us back when we were kids, it never even crossed my mind.”

“I feel like it’s a good time to break-in some place, don’t you think?” I said, winking at him.

He smirked, shaking his head in disbelief. “We better be successful this time, because Maddie will be coming for our heads if this fails again.”

********

I was awakened by the bright light coming from above my head. I squinted as I try to adjust my eyesight, looking around. I tried to move my arms, but both were tied to the bed, an IV line inserted on my right arm. My head feels so heavy and it’s pounding mad.

I look to my right and saw a machine with many electrodes attached to it. I realized that those electrodes lead back to my head, attached to some kind of head mask. That’s the reason why my head feels so heavy.

Glancing around the area, I realized that I must be in a hospital room. Or in a room full of medical equipment, if this is not the hospital.

My eyes were as heavy as lead. I also feel too tired to keep them open, so I closed them shut, opting instead to listen and feel the surrounding. I have a feeling that I’m not safe here.

I hear footsteps coming nearer, then a door swinging open. Someone sat beside me on my right side, their scent sweet and a little bit musky. I can feel them inject something on my IV line. It felt thick, like it didn’t want to flow into my veins. It took the grogginess off my system.

The beam of light was taken from above my head as a female voice said, “I must say, it hurt my feelings to be the last person to know that you’re coming here. Especially when I'm the first one to invite you. ”

I opened my eyes to a familiar voice and a familiar face.

Too familiar, in fact.

She sat up straight on her seat, flicking her auburn hair back. “By any chance, do you remember Hannah now?” she asked.

It was Jessy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of Jessy as one of the antagonists? 😁 I'm actually debating this idea since I started playing, but as I was going through the process of writing this story, I thought it just made sense that she's involved. 🤔
> 
> Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts! I get notifications every time you comment on the chapters, so I can see them right away and respond. If I don't respond, that means I'm doing any of the three:
> 
> 1\. tinkering with CSS codes and HTML;  
> 2\. thinking of a head-shattering puzzle;  
> 3\. writing angst.
> 
> Thank you very much!!! All my love and keep safe!!💗💗


	20. Distributed Denial of Service

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! I was inspired when I saw that the progress tracker for Episode 7 has moved significantly! I promised myself to finish this work before episode 7, so I'm working double time.
> 
> Happy reading! 💗💗

The police took me to an interrogation room at the station, taking my laptop and smartphone for evidence. I debated whether to tell them that there’s nothing in there that will help them anymore to save their time, but it must be entertaining to watch them get frustrated as they tinker with an empty gadget. Also, that will buy me more time. I decided to let them carry on with it.

While waiting for the investigator who will probably ask me irrelevant questions, I looked around the area and noticed a CCTV at the leftmost corner of the ceiling, above the door. To my front is a tinted glass, which is most likely a two-way mirror, where they’ll be observing me on the other side.

The door opened and the police officer came inside with Lilly, and a distraught, older woman who I assume is her mother, then her father.

My father.

When I was younger my only question was why he didn’t want to keep a child – his child for that matter. Not a commodity that you can just return to the store, but a person which he helped make.

But now, after I found out about the project, just thinking about him makes my blood boil. If he cared for my mother even for a little bit, he would’ve tried to find out who killed her, or at the very least tried to find me, but he didn’t. I’m glad I don’t carry his blasted name.

My thoughts were interrupted when he spoke. “I’d like to speak with him alone.”, glancing to his wife and daughter, then to the police officer, “and privately.”

The officer looked like he might protest the request to turn off all listening devices in the room, but one indignant look from Engr. Donfort made him close his lips in a hard line and nod in compliance. Lilly looked to his father, then to me, before leaving the room with her mother and the police.

He stood in front of me across the table, taking a long look at my face before he said, “Lilly insisted that you have nothing to do with Hannah’s disappearance, so I don’t understand why she was the first one to call the police on you. I can only assume two things – she changed her mind again –” he paused, pulling out the chair and sitting on it, “or this is some sort of plan that you two conjured to lure the perpetrator. I know Lilly. She might change her mind once – but never twice.”

I never want to speak to him. But at this moment, we’re not talking about me or about what happened to us – this is all about finding Hannah.

“You might know where she is. You might even know who took her, so what makes you think I’ll tell you anything?”

“Are you insinuating that I let my own child be abducted?” He said, his voice rising.

I sneered at him. “It wouldn’t be the first time that you abandoned your child.”

He banged a hand against the table to which I only stared. If he’s trying to make an impression on me, then he’s doing a very poor one. If he was doing it for the people behind the two-way mirror, then it was pretty good.

He closed his eyes, letting out a frustrated breath. “I tried looking for you after Anna died. I asked Old Gray, but he wouldn’t give up information, telling me you’re better off away from this place.”

He leaned against the chair before continuing. “When Hannah first told us about a man he met online, I didn’t think much of it, because that’s the way you kids meet people these days. But I admit the idea crossed my mind – that it might’ve been you, and you’re trying to make a connection for whatever reason. But you stopped talking to her after some time. I let it go.”

I can see him debating whether to tell me something, but he continued. “I wasn’t a good father to you Jake, and for that I am sorry.”

Silence passed between us before I responded. “It’s not that you weren’t a good father. You were never a father to me.”

He looked wounded when I said that, and I must admit it felt good to hurt him, even if only with words.

“Lilly printed the document that your other friend sent her. Right then I knew that the past has come to haunt us. At first, I thought it was you – retribution for Anna’s death. But Lilly insisted that you didn’t even want to tell her the truth about your connection, and that you only did it because of a stupid thing she did to you.”

“I know this will matter very little with what you think of me, but I want to tell you – after they found Anna dead, I was tasked to burn all her belongings from the center. Among those was a floppy disk which contained that very document. I regretted what happened to her– I still do. Even if I were a self-absorbed, ambitious jerk at that time, I couldn’t smear her memory like that. I gave it to Alan for safekeeping.”

That got my interest. “Alan Millan – the missing owner of the Aurora?” I asked.

“They were planning to announce their engagement when she was killed. Alan cared for her. He also went to look for you, but Old Gray wouldn’t take any chances on anyone from Duskwood. The old man wanted to keep you safe.” He explained. Now I understand why Old Gray took me to his brother. He loved my mother like she was his own child.

My eyes followed him as he stood up from his seat, taking his leave. I glanced upon the clock at the wall behind him, noticing that it’s already half past noon. Lilly should be back here by now.

“I just need more time. The plans we made we’re already in place. If everything works out, we will be able to find Hannah before sundown.” I said, giving him the explanation he might be looking for.

Before he opened the door, he looked back at me, saying, “For what it’s worth, I named Hannah after your mother. It seemed like a fitting tribute back then, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.” He paused, a small smile on his face. “Whatever you’re planning, I hope you succeed.”

I could only nod at what he said. “Thank you for telling me about my mother. It helped clear out most of my questions.” He nodded back before opening the door and leaving the interrogation room.

After a while, Lilly came back with the person I asked her to come with her – Dan Anderson.

I don’t like him, especially when I remember how he toys with Lilly’s feelings. But Maddie seems to trust him – something that I would never understand.

He came striding from the door, crossing the room, and grabbing me by the collar. “What did you do to Hannah and Jessy?”

I scoffed, turning back to Lilly who looked worried. “What did you see in this one?” I asked. Lilly rolled her eyes in ridicule as Dan look back at her.

“I thought you said to look angry. What is this stupid hacker saying?” He said, confused. Now I get it, he was bluffing. It’s showtime.

“Sorry Lilly, he looked very convincing, I thought it was just his normal dumb self.” I retorted. He held his grip tighter.

“Will you stop fighting, you two!” Lilly said as she tried to push Dan away from me, slipping a hand to my shirt pocket while Dan is blocking the CCTV. It’s where I sneaked a small flash drive earlier before the police caught me. She then slipped a bobby pin to my right hand, which will be handy later if they succeed.

Out of nowhere, Dan the bearded jerk punched me in the face, cutting my lips. “Sorry, that was unintentional.” He said, but without real remorse. Lilly screamed in surprise, calling the attention of other police officers outside to break us apart.

“I’d assume you got carried away.” I replied, spitting the blood on the floor.

As police officers came in to take Dan away, I shouted at him, “I owe you one!” I will get him for this, one way or another. He smirked back at me before the doors closed.

While waiting for them to carry out the hack, I thought about the suspects I had in mind - Jessica Hawkins and Richy. I had a feeling that they were planning something – from Jessica’s obvious absence in the chat group and Richy’s sudden interest in Maddie’s investigation. Considering their connection, I learned that if you want a lie to be convincing, you need to tell the truth. Maybe all of it, but you need to do it in a way that the person “just knows” you have to be lying. That included not telling Maddie the whole plan.

That’s when I decided to call Lilly and go to her house this morning to tell her about my plan. It has been working, so far. All of them, including Maddie, believed that she still doesn’t trust me even if I already told her that I am her half-brother. It gave Maddie time to escape to the old building by the lake and for Cleo and Thomas to follow her.

If everything goes well, they might find Hannah.

The only thing we need now is to create a distraction long enough for Lilly to get into one of the police station’s computers and insert the flash drive to start the DDOS attack I coded last night. I didn’t do the attack then because I cannot risk them locating my real IP address. This way, they’ll find that the attack came from one of their computers, but they can’t pin it on me because I have been sitting on this hole since they put me in it.

I got the idea for the botnets from Lilly. When she decided to make that #IAmJake trend, those devices gave me enough resources to use as _zombies_ and make them attack the police station server collectively. Nothing grave will happen to these zombie IOTs, they won’t even know they were hacked. Maybe just a little faster battery drains or a minor lag in web surfing, but nothing more. They will attack at a specific time I determined, and sooner or later the server will be overwhelmed with the number of requests that it will not be able to respond to an ordinary user, creating what they call the “spinning wheel of lag”. The system will shut down, and I will be able to create a diversion from their chaos, escape and go to the old building.

I just hope Lilly and Dan will be able to execute it. 

********

“You didn’t have to be that extra, Dan.” Lilly hissed at me while we’re being taken out of the interrogation room. While walking, she then asked another officer. “I’m sorry, but can I borrow your computer? I just need to print this evidence that might help in the case.”

“Why can’t you give me the flash drive instead and I will print it for you.” The young male officer asked, hitting on Lilly.

That drew the line. “Hey man, just do what the lady asks you to do. And since you’re so eager to know, the flash drive contains some of our compromising photos.” I said, putting an arm around Lilly, whose eyes have gone as wide as an eagle's. I winked at her before looking back at the officer, “And if you ever open it, I don’t even care if you’re a police officer, that’s the last thing you’ll be able to see. I don’t go religiously to the gym for nothing.”

He must be new here to be easily threatened by a civilian. Lilly thanked him still for his approval, leaving us alone in the cubicle.

“You have the gall to put your hands on me like that.” She glared as she inserted the flash drive in the port and typing on the keyboard.

I was confused. “I think it worked pretty well.” I said proudly.

“I wasn’t talking about your little stunt just now.” She said, pausing from what she’s doing and looking at me disapprovingly. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did to me – siding with that witch, you two-timing piece of shit.”

She has never cursed like that. What’s worse is that she’s pertaining to me. “That’s a lot of expletives for such an emotion. Do you loathe me that much? And we’re not even sure if Jessy’s guilty.” I reasoned with her.

“Don’t mention her name in front of me. It’s distracting me, and I really need to focus on this.” She said as she types words on a black screen.

“You seem to know what you’re doing.” I noticed, glancing at her from the corner of my eye, remaining silent.

“SHIT!” she hissed, looking at me.

“I’m not doing anything!” I argued, trying to keep my voice down.

She pointed at the screen, which is now showing a password prompt and some type of code.

**-**

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**3**

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**8**

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I looked at it for a while, thinking that it was somehow familiar.

“You don’t know this?” I asked her again just to confirm.

She glared at me. ‘Do you think I spend my free time cracking police-owned computers?”

“But this is very easy.” I said nonchalantly.

She scoffed. “You do it then, if you’re so clever.”, turning the keyboard on my direction.

“You want to know why you’re not familiar with this?” I asked as I typed the answer on the prompt. “You’re too young.” I said, pressing the enter button and watching her eyes move from annoyance to amazement.

I tried very hard not to look smug, which turned my smile to a weird grin. She finished typing a sequence of words before removing the flash disk and putting it on her pocket.

We were met by the police officer that Lilly talked with earlier. “That took a while."

“There were too many pictures of her other girl on that blasted flash drive. It turned out that the document I was looking for was not there. I’m very sorry to have wasted your time.” Lilly said, apologetic, then glaring back at me.

I mocked laughing nervously. “It seems that I might need your assistance later, officer. If you receive a call for neighborhood disturbance, that might be us arguing."

“I’m telling you now, you shouldn’t have done it, man.” He scoffed as we leave the station.

After a while, as we wait in Lilly’s car, shouts and running police officers littered the entrance of the police station.

Lilly leaned on her car seat, a smug look on her face. “Now I know why Jake likes doing this hacking thing. It feels rebellious.”

I nodded in agreement. “I agree.” Looking back at her, I asked. “Do I get points for knowing the password?”

She thought about it for a while as she started the engine while we wait for Jake to emerge from the station. “Alright. But not as many points as you’ve lost for being a two-timing jerk.”

“I’ll make it up to you, I swear.” I pleaded.

“The last time you said that you ended up on a hospital bed.” She mentioned.

“How did you know about that??” I asked frantically. Without answering the question, she pointed to Jake, who’s coming from the entrance, a backpack slung over his shoulder, running briskly towards us.

“I hate that hacker dude.” I said as he rides at the back of the car. Lilly stepped on the gas as we leave for Blackwater Lake.

“What did you just say?” Jake asked.

“Just shut up, you know.” I retorted, looking straight ahead. Lilly laughed in return.

“Mission accomplished?” Lilly asked his half-brother through the rear-view mirror.

Jake smirked at her and said proudly. “Mission accomplished.”

“Crow dude, you’re next!” I exclaimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think is the police station password? 😉
> 
> Clue: TXT MSG
> 
> P. S. Everything you read about DDOS attack here, I got from watching TED Talks and reading about it. I really don't know anything about DDOS attacks, so it's safe to say that when I mentioned the thing about the #IAmJake trend, it's a figment of my imagination 🤣 no need to panic. 
> 
> I'd love to hear from you! 😘😘


	21. MC's Identity Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm on a roll today! It's hard to guess when Episode 7 will come out, so now I'm trying to put out as many chapters as I possibly can. I hope you enjoy this one!
> 
> There will be a very brief mention of suicide and mental illness in this chapter, please be advised.
> 
> Happy reading! 😁😁

_I need to find a way to get out of this contraption,_ I thought as I try to feel around my head for any puncture. The main thing is that these electrodes were not drilled into my brain, so I can peel this thing off without hurting myself or exposing my skull. If Emma could see me, she would laugh her ass off while telling me that I look like that singing alien from The Fifth Element. Second thing are the binds in my wrists that are keeping me from moving. I need something sharp to poke these cable ties.

“Hey, Maddie, are you still there? Stay with me.” Jessy said, patting my cheeks to wake me up.

I took a deep breath, gathering my strength. “Why did you bring me here? And why do you keep asking if I remember Hannah?”

She smirked as she inspects the monitor at my bedside. “You always want to get to the point, don’t you? Sadly, that question is something I cannot answer.” She said as she flicks a finger on the IV drip chamber, measuring the rate of drops.

There’s always something about indirectly answered questions that fascinates me – I don’t understand why, but I like reading between the lines.

“Then someone else can answer it, am I right?”, trying to see behind the glass window of the room if there’s someone in there.

Jessy set the clipboard she’s holding and sat comfortably on the chair. “All in good time, Maddie. There’s no need to rush. We’ve got all the time in the world.”

I’ve heard that one before, my mind was just too muddled to remember who it was. “Would you like to tell me then how you’re involved in all these? I’m assuming you’re itching to tell me.”

She grinned from ear to ear when she heard the suggestion. “Of course, I want to tell you everything about it. What good is a genius if no one appreciates it, right?”

“Carry on, then. Like you said, we’ve got all the time in the world. Start on the day your mother died. You lied to me about her.” I said, trying to clear my head as the drugs take its effect.

“You met Phil?” she asked, exhaling a sigh of disappointment. “In any case, I thought it didn’t matter that time, so I didn’t tell you the truth. My mother has always been strained with us – that is true. Maybe it was influenced by Phil’s father dying – I’m not sure, but from what my grandmother told me, she wasn’t as mentally stable after that. So, she thought of the easiest way out.”

She went silent after that, probably thinking about her mother. She then smiled softly, dismissing the thought from her mind. “No matter. We’re not here to talk about her.” Turning the chair so she’s facing my bedside, she continued. “You know I love scary stories, right? I might just have a little story for you – it’s called ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’.”

She continued. “Fifteen years ago, eleven-year-old Iris decided to go to the forest and follow her older sister, Jennifer, in an attempt to find out what’s keeping her busy most days. Jennifer was frequently reprimanded for sneaking out of the house, which her parents prohibited them to do since their family is new to Duskwood. Iris thought Jennifer is seeing a boyfriend, which intrigued her.

She enlisted the help of a new friend, eleven-year-old Hannah, to accompany her to the woods. Hannah, being the affable neighbor that she is, happily agreed.

They followed Jennifer at a distance, only stopping when she disappeared past the fence of the Mr. Paul Rogers’ property. Paul was known not only for being the Chief of Police of Duskwood, but also a very strict man who reprimands anyone, particularly the kids, from playing around the woods. He was especially strict that time since his son, Richy, is still sick from the prank that his friends played on him.”

Hannah, wanting to keep on following Jennifer, knocked on Mr. Rogers’ house, pretending to pay Richy a visit. Richy’s mother greeted them at the door saying that Mr. Rogers is out of the house. She asked them to visit another time since Richy is still sleeping. Confirming that Mr. Rogers is not around, Hannah and Iris slipped past the Rogers’ fence and followed Jennifer.

By the time they made it past the fence, Jennifer was already out of sight. Still, they followed the dirt path, thinking that she might have walked the same way. As they go deeper into the woods, they noticed the thickening fog, which was unusual around that time and weather. Thinking nothing of it, they continued on walking further into the shadows.”

Jessy narrated it as if telling a bedtime story to a child, just like that time she told us about the Legend of the Man Without a Face.

“As the fog cleared, their visions started to blur, and they became woozy. What was unmistakable is that they saw Jennifer, unconscious and lying on the ground, an emerald bracelet dangling from her hands. However, before they can come nearer and check if she’s okay, a masked creature showed up, taking Jennifer away. Hannah thought that this creature was The Man Without a Face, and that he’s also the same one who scared her friend Richy. Petrified, Hannah could only watch as Iris ran after the creature who’s taking her sister. The Man Without a Face paid her no heed, pushing her away. Iris stumbled and hit her head on a log, rendering her unconscious.

As soon as Iris regained her bearings, they went straight to the police station to report the crime. The police didn’t believe their account of events, blaming it on their overactive imagination. When Jennifer didn’t come home that night, her parents went back to the police to report her missing.

Next morning came and they found Jennifer dead by the river. Iris’ family was so traumatized by the tragedy that they decided to leave Duskwood. Hannah, haunted by the image of the Man Without a Face every night since then, was taken to the hospital for treatment. After bouts of high fever, Hannah woke up but can no longer recall what happened.

Until last year, when, while jogging with her friend Cleo, Hannah saw a glimpse of the Man Without A Face in the woods. She knows he’s back and he has come to take her.”

She ended her narration with a smirk, waiting as if she expected me to be scared. After not getting the reaction she wanted, her face turned into mild annoyance.

“Didn’t it scare you?” she asked, baffled.

Now that I am fully awake, I can think more clearly. The downside is that the binds on my arms are starting to get annoying.

“Is that how you tell Alfie his bedtime stories? I might have just figured out why he doesn’t like you. It’s not very appealing, to be honest.”

She frowned, her disdain for the kid evident. “Alfie is sick in the head, though. He never liked my style. Other children might’ve hidden under the blanket, but him, he would just yawn, preferring to play with that stupid bird. I hate it.”

That gave me an idea. “Is that why Mr. Featherly ended up dead?”

She gave me a sly, conspiratorial wink. “I prefer ravens over Mr. Featherly any time. They’re cleverer and more sophisticated. Do you know why? Because they observe people and their surroundings. They think that ravens are a bad omen, but I think they’re only scared because they didn’t expect ravens to be that intelligent. People like to think they’re more superior. So, when something happens that are beyond their rationality, they get scared. They feel threatened.”

“Is that also the case for you? Do you think people are underestimating you?” I asked, following her analogy.

“I don’t think they expected this, do you? I bet they think I can’t do this sort of thing. Who would suspect a beautiful, helpless lady like me, right?” She propped a hand on the bed to her chin, thinking. “Isn’t that a bit sexist – to think that a woman can’t carry out an elaborate plan such as this? ”

“I guess it depends on your upbringing.” I commented.

She looked at me, nodding. “That’s why I like Richy. He’s sensitive about this kind of things. He’s not like Dan, who considers us damsels in distress that needs saving.”

I remembered the day Richy asked if I’m a Mr. or a Ms. It didn’t really matter to me that time. He also did the same when we went to the Dare House, telling me that the monster lurking in the Dare House must be a man, saying that as a compliment to womanhood.

“To be honest with you, I never ruled you out from my list of suspects. As far as I’m concerned everyone related to Hannah might be the perpetrator, and I’ve always suspected it to be more than one, even though Jake says otherwise. A brain cannot carry out its functions without a body – the reverse is also true.”

She smiled, saying. “This is why I like you, Maddie. I’d bet you are just like me – perceptive. I’d love to pick your brains – not literally, though. I’d love to know what you think about Hannah’s friends.”

I’d much rather keep silent, but I’m getting much information by keeping her talking. I might as well return the favor. “Alright. This could be a bit stereotypical, but I like to find patterns in things and people. You were right in that regard – we both like to observe them.”

“Thomas is your laidback, sometimes insecure but thoughtful boyfriend. He listens to calming, lo-fi beats and has preference for guitars and compensates his lacking social skills by playing massively multiplayer online role-playing game. He’s afraid to lose Hannah that he offers to change himself even before he knew what causes Hannah’s perceived cold treatment. Would he abduct his girlfriend? I don’t think so.

Cleo is your dependable best friend and has your best interests at heart. She cares, that’s why she worries so much. Could jealousy be a motive? Cleo is pretty well-off, as you can see in her pictures, and she prefers to give. I don’t think that’s the case. She also acknowledges when she’s done wrong.

Dan is your jerkass but protective friend. He thinks he knows a lot of things, brutally honest, but will still back you up if you ever need it. He’d also like to think he’s a gentleman. His profile suggests that he’s quite an emotional person who likes to watch action-comedy films for the thrill of it and compensates for his lack of father-authority by following a Reddit account of things that “Every Man Should Know”.

Lilly is your ever skeptic and quite traditional friend. Won’t accept friends that easily but cherishes those she already has. Very aloof, just like the cats that she loves.”

Jessy looked impressed. “Then what do you have to say about Richy and me?”

I thought about it for a while. “I admit Richy’s quite hard to read since I can’t see his face in his profile. But his love of cars suggests attention to detail, dexterity, strength. What bothered me is his fascination for cars getting into trouble. That made me think he has a hand in Dan’s accident.

And then there’s you – the mysterious red-head who was initially disinterested about her friend’s disappearance that she decided to take a trip on the same day that she disappeared? Then, out of all of her friends, she decided to prove her alibi by sending an anonymous person a poorly edited picture from the Eiffel Tower.”

“Edited, you say?” she asked, irritated but intrigued.

“You know that Eiffel Tower is a popular place, and that street views are now widely available to the public, right? The angle that the picture was taken suggests proximity to the tower, and it should not be that hard to find, considering its popularity. You will not find that bridge, whether you took it at Quai Branly, not even if you took it beside The Seine.”

Jessy scoffed at that. “At first I admire your attention to detail, now I just loathe it.”

“But that’s what makes her a great agent, doesn’t she?” I heard someone as they entered the room, their voice thick and a bit foreign.

“How very nice to meet you, Agent Closs. Don’t you remember me?”

It was Dr. Barret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've modified Iris as Jennifer's sister, not her mother as the game suggests, but I have my reasons! I remembered Hannah's diary, wherein she mentioned that when she went to Iris' house, she told Hannah that she already told the police all she knows, and that she knows the story well - all of it. We know from Dr. Barret's audio file that they were children when the incident with Jennifer died, and considering that both of them have emerald green eyes, Iris and Jennifer must be related. We also know that Jennifer was the same age as Hannah was during the audiofile when the incident happened, so that would mean that Jennifer is older (at least twice Hannah's age).if Iris knows all of what happened that day - then is she the second child being referred to in the audio?
> 
> If you'd like some reference, assuming that Hannah is 25 at the time of the audio file, then Jennifer must be the same during the incident. I'm assuming they were young back then(11 - 13 at the very least) - teenagers, when all the raging hormones manifest. Jennifer cannot be Iris' mother, since it's too early to have a child at 14 (possible, but it just doesn't seem that way).
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked it! 😊😘😘


	22. Into the Basement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read in the news that Germany will be on lockdown until the holidays. I pray that their COVID-19 cases decrease soon! I know it is quite sad that Episode 7 will not be released until next year, but that's okay! Everbyte team's safety must be prioritized. We can wait! 
> 
> We're near the end! I promise to finish this work before the week ends, since I figured I will be busy in the next week due to the holidays. I would still love to hear from all of you though! Your thoughts and comments would brighten up my Christmas and New Year. :)
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Happy reading!

Thomas and I moved as silently as we could inside the old building, which is very hard to do considering the dilapidated state of the structure. Every door we opened seem to make the loudest creaks, and every step we made seem to rattle the old pipes on the ceiling. We kept looking inside rooms for any clue until we reached the end of the hallway. Thomas picked up a pipe that laid on the ground, holding it tight. I looked at him curiously.

“We don’t know what we’re getting into. I’d feel safer if I can defend myself.” He said, looking around. I nodded in agreement, trying to find another one for myself.

We were both startled by the sound of a phone ringing. I looked for its origin and found a dusty smartphone vibrating in a corner. It was Lilly calling.

“Hello? Lilly?” I nervously responded.

“Cleo?” She said, sounding surprised. Silence hung in the air before she continued, “Why do you have Maddie’s phone?”

I looked at Thomas, who seemed curious that it was Lilly speaking on the other end. “I’m putting you on speaker. Thomas is with me.” I replied, pressing the button.

“We’re in the old building by the lake right now. We received a text from an anonymous person giving us the coordinates to this place. I found this phone on the floor. Maddie is here, too?”

I can faintly hear Lilly talking with someone else over the phone, then she turned back to me. “I’m currently driving. Dan and Jake are with me. Jake would like to talk to you.”

The hacker? I thought Lilly reported him to the police? I’m not sure I’d like to give him information, but considering that Lilly and Dan are with him, maybe they are working on something?

“Cleo?” he asked, confirming if I’m still on the line. His voice seemed normal, unlike the first ones that sounded distorted.

“Yes, I’m here.” I replied. “Was it you who sent the text message?” Thomas busied himself with looking around the place for any clue while listening to our conversation.

“Yes, it was me. It’s kind of hard to explain right now. We’re on our way to where you are. You said you found Maddie’s phone?” he asked, sounding a bit worried. “Did you find anything else? Signs of struggle?”

I looked around again before responding. “The dirt seemed disturbed in this area, and Thomas picked up a pipe on the floor earlier. Other than that, there’s nothing unusual here.”

Thomas waved at me as he pointed something on the wall. It caught my attention and I walked to where he was, looking at it. It’s an elevator button. Thomas and I looked at each other before he pressed the down button. Suddenly, the old panels opened.

Thomas held the elevator button before it can close. “We have to go, we found an elevator. If anything happens, we’ll call you again.”

“Alright. We’re right behind you.” He assured us.

“Be careful.” Lilly said before hanging up.

I put Maddie’s phone into my left pocket as we enter the elevator. Thomas pressed the down button again.

“Is there a basement?” I asked, curious.

“I’m assuming there’s one. They wouldn’t put a down button if there isn’t, right? And we are looking for a secluded area. Basement sounds isolated to me.” He remarked. The clanging sounds of old metal made us more nervous. After a while, the elevator stopped, opening to the basement.

We entered a dark hallway that branches into the left and right wing, and another hallway in front of us. I looked to Thomas for suggestion.

“Let’s go to the left. In my experience the important places are always on the left since most people always turn to the right.” He mentioned as we walk down the left wing.

“In your experience?” I asked, my voice rising a little bit.

He sighed. “World of Warcraft.”

“You’re treating this like a game?” I asked, appalled.

“Of course, not!” he adamantly denied, looking back at me. “It’s just that – I’m scared enough as it is. Can we just pretend for a while? I can think clearly if I think of that.”

I shook my head in disbelief, shrugging. “Whatever floats your boat, I guess.”

We continued walking for a while when I noticed something odd in one of the doors. I stopped to look at it, calling Thomas who was walking in front of me.

“What is it?” he asked as he walked back, looking at the door.

“The lock is on this side.” I mentioned, holding the doorknob, turning it open.

When we stepped inside, Thomas almost wanted to shout.

“HANNAH!” we both whispered excitedly as we run to her bed. She’s unconscious, an IV drip running down her arm. Thomas placed the pipe he was holding at the ground, careful not to make loud sounds.

Hannah stirred awake, opening her eyes slowly. When she focused on us, she heaved a sigh of relief, crying. “You found me!” she said as she hugged Thomas, extending a hand to me. I took her hand in mine, squeezing it reassuringly.

“I received your message. We found the owner of the number, and now she’s helped us find you.” Thomas said frantically as he caressed her face, checking if it is really her.

Hannah looked confused as she asked, “What number?”

We heard a disturbance and immediately ducked under Hannah’s bed. We stopped for a while, waiting if the sound will continue. Assured that the noise is gone, we came out of hiding and helped Hannah up again. She removed the IV line from her arm and held it tightly as Thomas helped her out of the bed.

I took my phone from my right pocket to see if we can call someone, but it seems that the signal is poor here in the basement. I stood by the door, glancing outside to look for anyone. When I was sure that no one was there, we headed out, going back to the elevator. Suddenly, we heard the loud bang of its metals, indicating that someone is using it.

We ran to the opposite direction, passing by the room where we found Hannah. I had the mind to lock it again before we continued down the corridor. We kept going until we saw a tunnel, a gleam of light shining at the end. We kept walking, water splashing at our feet as we near the end.

When we reached it, Thomas handed Hannah to me as he checked the metal frames that block the exit. Shaking it didn’t do the trick. The padlock is already rusty from neglect, so the mechanism might be stuck.

Thomas kept kicking the frames so loud it echoed across the tunnel.

I heard someone walking towards us, feet splashing in the water. “Thomas, stop!” I commanded in a whisper.

On the other side, I heard two voices arguing. It was Dan and Lilly. I looked at Thomas, wondering whether we should take the chance of getting caught if we shouted at them.

Thomas looked back at the other end of the tunnel, hearing the footsteps getting louder.

In a heartbeat, we both shouted, “Dan! Lilly! Over here!” I kept banging on the metal frame until I saw a shadow come near the exit, with Lilly peeking in.

“Hannah!” she shouted as she came towards us, Dan following behind her.

“Dan, break down the lock, fast! Someone is coming!” I shouted. Dan went back outside, bringing a big chunk of rock and throwing it against the lock. Lilly went back outside, waiting for us as Dan and Thomas tried to break down the metal frame.

I looked back and saw the Man Without a Face coming towards us. “Thomas, take Hannah, quick!” I shouted at him as I block the way. Thomas carried Hannah and walked over the fallen metal frame. The Man Without a Face pushed me hard out of the way. Dan tackled him into the ground, water splashing around them as they try to vie for control.

“Run, Lilly! Don’t look back!” I shouted at them as they take Hannah away. The Man Without a Face kicked Dan to the ground, punching him repeatedly.

I glanced to my right and saw the chunk of rock that Dan used to pry the lock open. I looked back to the Man Without a Face, his back to me. That mask must be limiting his vision. With both hands, I took the rock and hit him in the back of the head with the hardest swing I could muster. The Man Without a Face fell face first into the water, unmoving.

Dan was panting as I help him get up. “Thank you.” He said as we look back at the unconscious attacker.

I kicked him at the legs, checking if he’s awake. When he didn’t budge, Dan shove him upright, taking his mask off.

I covered my mouth in shock when I saw the man behind the mask, the cold that had nothing to do with the weather creeping up my spine.

It was Richy, his face bloodied from their encounter.

Dan looked back at me, shock also written on his face.

We left Richy at the tunnel and kept walking outside. When we got out, I saw the calm waters of Blackwater Lake. The adrenaline that helped me earlier dissipated quickly, leaving me shaking in fear.

Dan took me by the shoulders and helped me up. “It’s alright now, Cleo. Let’s get you to the hospital.” He said softly as we leave the place.

********

He called me Agent Closs.

Dr. Barret walked towards my bed, bringing a cart of vials, syringes, and other medical paraphernalia that I’m not familiar with. Are they going to experiment on me? I looked at him suspiciously, my brows wrinkled in a mix of disgust and confusion.

He looked back at Jessy, laughing out of amazement. “Looks like we found our best specimen, didn’t we? Much better than Hannah!”

Jessy smirked, her face filled with satisfaction. She must be proud of herself for getting me here.

“I imagine you already knew what happened with Anna. Richy told me that you found the document.” He said as he looked at my vital signs monitor. “Alan really did have a few tricks up his sleeve. He looked like a grieving widower at that time, but they weren’t even married. The experiment was suspended, and we continued with our own lives. After the death of Dr. Hawkins’ daughter, she thought to continue with the experiment. Sadly, Jennifer wasn’t affected by the drug and was planning to expose us, so she had to be eliminated. Hannah and Iris were our next options, so we kept a close eye on them. Unfortunately, Iris and her family moved out of Duskwood. Hannah didn’t show any signs of remembering, and that is a good sign that the drug is improving. Sadly, Dr. Hawkins died before we can even perfect the drug.”

He patted Jessy by the shoulders, squeezing her arm. “Gladly her granddaughter here took after her. Her nursing degree helped her understand what we do. Tell her what you did, Jessy.” He urged.

“Before my grandmother died, she told me all about the project, and I became fascinated by it. If only Anna Schmidt didn’t burn the facility, they could’ve perfected the drug much faster, and things wouldn’t have ended like this. My mother didn’t have to die if only her memories of the past had been erased.

I decided to infiltrate Hannah’s circle of friends by working at Richy’s. It took years of surveillance before we could make sure that the drug is still in effect. Without Richy’s knowledge I’ve been trying to lure people and tourists into the woods where Richy’s father imitates the Man Without A Face. I’ve been telling them the scary legend. Alan’s story of trying to expose the experiment gave the opposite effect. It created fear out of people’s imagination. And fear is a good motivator for heightened emotional and memory response. However, most of the time they only end up confused when they get out of the woods. We really don’t have any use for them.

Until last year when Alan started to poke into the project again and contacted Hannah. Phil mentioned to me that Alan is keeping something in the basement, and I can only conclude it to be related to the project. After he contacted Hannah, she started to remember pieces of what happened. I then offered her the services of Dr. Barret.”

“That was a fantastic strategy, by the way. It brought me closer to Hannah and helped me analyze her movements more personally.” Dr. Barret interjected.

Jessy smirked, grateful for the compliment. She paused for a while, thinking. She then looked back at me. “That’s when you came into the picture. I’ve only seen you once, since you were very evasive, and Hannah was also very sneaky. I saw both of you get out of the woods. All of a sudden you disappeared. We’re not sure what happened.”

I tried to shake my head for any memory to confirm everything that they’re trying to say, but to no avail.

“Oh, that’s also the time that Paul decided not to play his part anymore. And it just won’t do. Richy came to me at the motel while I was babysitting Alfie. We had an argument because he found out about the experiment. I blackmailed him that if he didn’t agree to be the Man Without a Face, I will tell everyone that it was his father who killed Jennifer, and that Alfie is his father's son with Ms. Walter. Unfortunately, Mr. Featherly was apparently listening at that time, that blasted bird, and from then on, he started calling me “Man Without A Face” every time I pass by him. He was annoying me greatly, so I decided to shut him up permanently.” She told me casually like she was only telling how her day went by.

I asked, still confused. “How can I be sure that you’re telling me the truth? I can’t remember anything of what you just said. I don’t even know that I’m an agent. Agent for whom?”. Even Emma didn’t tell me anything.

I was startled with Dr. Barret turning an equipment on, and I felt the electrodes in my head tingling.

“Shall we find out together, then?” he asked as he turned the intensity up on the electrodes.

I screamed in shock and pain as they tried to play with my head and my memories.

********

I told Lilly and Dan that we have to separate ways so we can cover more areas and find both Hannah and Maddie. When Cleo answered Maddie’s phone, my heart dropped, and I immediately felt that there’s something wrong.

I found the elevator that Cleo mentioned and noticed that the down button has no dust in it, indicating that it must’ve been pressed recently. I hopped onto it and waited for the elevator to land.

The moment the doors opened I looked to the left and right corridors. The hallway in my front seems to be leading to more offices. I followed the hallway in front of me and tried to look for any clue.

I stopped on a door which seemed like a laboratory. There are differently colored vials, brain specimens, bottles and other glassware that makes up your usual chemistry set. They are all labeled ‘Project RAVEN’.

I heard a shout coming from the hall, and I immediately recognized that voice. It was Maddie’s. It sounded full of hurt, like she was being tortured.

I followed her voice into the hallway, turning left as I pass by the elevator.

I peeked into the room where the shouts are coming from and my eyes bulged when I saw Maddie tied to the bed. There was also Dr. Barret and Jessica. They look like they were experimenting on her. I crouched on the floor, leaning against the wall.

Maddie kept screaming and I just can’t take it anymore. I had to do something.

As silently as I could, I ran back to the hallway where I was earlier. I figured that there must be an electricity room to turn off all the electricity on the floor.

I checked each room in a frenzy, trying to tune out Maddie’s screams.

“Just a little while longer, Maddie.” I muttered in frustration as I ran through the halls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you noticed my description for Mr. Featherly. In the English version of the game it was said that Mr. Featherly is a canary. But I once saw in a post at the Duskwood Facebook group which I am a part of, that in the German version of the game, Mr. Featherly was called a _Wellensittich_ , or a budgie - which is a talking bird, a member of the parrot family, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not sure if it affects the game, but I thought it would be nice if Mr. Featherly was a talking bird. It would make it more logical for him to end up dead if he might have noticed something unusual and talked about it, as all talking birds do. In TV and film tropes, they call it the evil-detecting animal.😁
> 
> What do you think of this chapter? Did it answer some of your questions or did I make it more confusing?😅


	23. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A mild migraine will not prevent me from making this chapter! 🤣 If I feel better tomorrow, I might post the next one, but for now, I'll sleep this headache and nausea off.
> 
> If you see grammatical errors, please forgive me. I've re-read this already, but something might still escape my notice.
> 
> Thank you for reading!❤❤❤

**_Forgetting is an involuntary act. The more you want to leave something behind, the more it follows you._ **

_William Jonas Barkley_

****

**_One Year Ago_ **

It is one of those days again.

Cleo dropped by the house to invite me to go jogging, which I readily agreed. I have been feeling a bit under the weather when I woke up this morning and I thought taking a breath of fresh air might help. We took Cleo’s usual route – from her house down to Pine Street. But as we turn around by the junkyard, I saw him – or at least I think I did – hiding beneath the trees. I thought of saying something to Cleo, but she was busy talking about the apple pie recipe she got from her grandmother.

Dr. Barret asked me to tell him at once should incidents like this happen again. Jessy recommended him to me when I was at the junkyard once. She noticed that I was a bit peaky and thought that talking to a professional might help.

Now, I’m sitting at the doctor’s office, still thinking about the stranger as I stare out the window. Why can’t he just leave me alone? What does he want with me?

“Hannah, are you listening to me?” Dr. Barret asked as he adjusted his seat, pen and notepad on his lap.

“Yes.” I answered, turning my head back to his direction. “I’m sorry, Dr. Barret.”

“No need to apologize, Hannah. We’ve got all the time in the world. I just had to make sure that you’re with me.” He replied, crossing his legs.

I swallowed the lump forming on my throat before I replied. “I am being followed.”

Dr. Barret nodded his head. “You have told me something similar last time.”

“But this time it is different. I – I just know it.”

He leaned on his chair as he writes on his notepad. “Does this have something to do with your past? Is this person that is watching you – this stranger – in any way connected to what happened that day in the forest?”

I sighed. He always asks the same questions. “I know that you don’t believe me.”

“I never said that.”

“He was standing right there in the forest – watching us.” I told him as I recalled what happened this morning. “I wasn’t sure then, but I am today.”

He placed the pen and notepad at the side table, focusing all his attention on me. “I think it would be a good idea if you tell me what happened back then in the forest.”

“I have already told you a hundred times.” I said, shaking my head. Nothing will change what I saw that day in the forest, no matter how many times he asks.

“But maybe you’re going to tell the story differently today.” He interjected. “Hannah, you guys were children.”

No, we’re not children anymore – that’s what I said to my father before I went with Iris to the woods that day. “Jennifer was the same age as I am today – did you know that?”

Dr. Barret gazed at me with pity, feeling my unease. He sat up from his seat, a small smile on his lips. “I think we should take a little break.”

Talking with Dr. Barret should help ease all these anxiety and negative feelings that are bottling inside me, but I still feel that there’s something missing. Something that I need to address, but don’t know what, or how, or why. After the session, Dr. Barret gave me another prescription of SSRI. I took a picture of it so that I will not have to go to him again should I need more.

As I walk back to my car, I bumped into Alan, carrying a bag of groceries.

“Oh, sorry.” I apologized as I try to gather my bearings.

“It’s alright, Hannah. What are you doing here?” he asked, glancing at the door of Dr. Barret’s clinic.

I cannot deny having been there when I just bumped into him as I walk out of the door. “I – I had an appointment with Dr. Barret. There’s just something that I need to consult with him.”

“Is it something a glass of beer at the Aurora can’t fix?” he joked, a shy smile on his lips. Alan always had this comforting, easy demeanor about him – like an old friend whom you tell all your stories with.

“I’m not sure if you’re really concerned or if it’s just sales talk.” I said, smirking. “Are you going to the Aurora? I can give you a ride.”

Alan nodded in response, laughing as we walk to my car. “I’ve never really thought about it like that, but I’ve got to admit that’s a good idea.” He said as we stopped in front of my car. “So, what is it that made you go here?”

I frowned as I took the keys from my bag, debating with myself whether to tell Alan about it. Gathering up my courage, I hinted, “If I tell you about it, you’ll only laugh at me and tell me I’m crazy.” I opened the car door and sat on the driver’s seat, starting the engine.

Alan sat on the passenger side, putting his seatbelt on. “Can you imagine the kinds of stories I hear after all these years running the Aurora? Nothing surprises this old man anymore.”

“That would make old Gray ancient.” I mumbled as I step on the pedal. He must’ve heard it though, for he laughed so hard it made a booming sound inside the car.

I feel like he’s still waiting for me to tell the story, so I took a deep breath before saying, “Do you remember Jennifer Manson?”

His features changed instantly when he heard the name. “The girl who was found in the woods years ago? His killer was never found.”

I nodded in agreement. “I know this sounds ridiculous, but I know who did it. It was the Man Without a Face. I saw him that day – mask and all.”

“You mean the legend?” he inquired further, genuinely interested.

“Crazy, right? That’s what I told them all those years ago, and they just laughed at me. My eleven-year-old self was so scared that my brain decided to bury that day in deepest corner of my head.” I paused, careful of my next words. “But recently, something happened, and I began remembering.”

Alan remained silent, his brow still furrowed in concentration. “What made you remember?”

I heaved a sigh before replying. “Someone has been following me. I can feel it. I saw him in the woods this morning – he was watching us.”

“Where were you when you saw him?”

“Cleo and I were jogging back to her place. We turned around by the junkyard. I didn’t notice it before, but that’s near the part of the woods where we last saw Jennifer.”

“Rogers’ Garage.” He mentioned unconsciously, like he’s trying to put it in his memory. He then looked back at me, his stare serious. “Hannah – it’s not the Man Without a Face. It’s someone more sinister. And if you’re starting to remember, then he’s going after you.”

Shivers went down my spine as he said that. He seems to know more than he’s letting on. “What do you mean, Alan? Am I in danger? Should I go to the police?” I asked, panicking slightly.

“Yes, I believe you’re in danger. But the last thing you should do is to inform the police.” He warned.

********

After that day in Dr. Barret’s clinic, Alan has been helping me find out what really happened to Jennifer. He believes on my recall of events but thinks that there’s something more behind it all.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Hannah? We can do this some other time.” Alan asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Concern filled his face, noticing my hesitation. I asked him to come with me here, since he believes on what I saw that day. He helped me understand my thoughts and feelings more than Dr. Barret ever did.

We’ve been sitting in my car for a while now, parked on the side of the road in front of the blue house. Iris and her family moved out after Jennifer died. They found a place far away from the silent, eerie ambience of Duskwood, and I guess that’s better than seeing faceless men hiding beneath the shadows.

I held my grip tighter on the steering wheel, staring at their front porch. “No, let’s do it now. It’s the only way to confirm what happened that day.” I said, swallowing a lump on my throat. Taking a deep breath, I turned off the engine and unbuckled my seatbelt before getting out of the car.

With trembling hands, I rang their doorbell. It was Iris’ mother who greeted us.

“Hannah, is that you?” She said, smiling as the door opened. Her hug was as tight as it has always been.

“Yes, it’s me. I’m glad that you remembered.” I smiled as I hug her back. “Is Iris around? I was wondering if we could talk to her.” I asked, then gestured at Alan. “This is Alan, the owner of the bar Aurora back in Duskwood.”

Her features darkened a bit when I mentioned Duskwood, but she nodded politely at Alan. Opening the door further to let us in, she continued. “Yes, she’s off work today. Please come in.”

She led us to the living room, asking to wait while she calls Iris. Albeit some changes on the interior, the ambience inside their house never changed. It was still warm and inviting, like the days back then. A lot of things happened, but I’m glad they remained the way they were before the tragedy happened.

I looked up the stairs as I hear footsteps coming. Iris looked happy to see me, her features lighting up once she stepped on the landing.

“Hannah, I am glad to see you!” she said, smiling. She shook hands with Alan, then gestured for us to sit. “What brings you here?”

I looked back at Alan before responding. “I know this is hard, but we would like to ask if you remember anything new from –” I paused, feeling like I might puke. “– from the day Jennifer died.”

Iris leaned on the sofa, pity showing on her emerald eyes. “I’m sorry if you’re also finding it hard to move on. I’ve felt that way for some time, until we decided to move out of Duskwood.” She held my hand reassuringly.

I know the story well, every detail. She knows it, too. No matter how long it has been. She recalled everything that happened while I also tried to remember every step that we’ve made that day.

Alan and I didn’t get any new information from that visit, which made me a bit disappointed. Alan assured me that it’s okay, and that at least her account of events is consistent with mine. We were silent on the way home, thinking of our next steps.

“I have a contact at the federal police agency. I feel like they’re more equipped to help solve this case, since I believe the Duskwood police might be involved with it.” Alan mentioned, taking his phone from his pocket, and looking for the number. He put the call on speaker when the person on the other line answered.

It was a woman’s voice. “Hello, Mr. Milan. I’m glad to hear from you. Do you have any new leads?”

“Hello, Agent Richter. I’m sorry, but our visit with Hannah’s friend didn’t give new information. How about yours?” Alan asked.

“My work here at the cybercrime division doesn’t really cover this kind of cases, but I asked the help of my colleague from another unit to help you. I’m putting her on the line.” Agent Richter said.

The other one who answered the phone sounds more confident. “This is Agent Closs. Mr. Millan is there any way for you to connect me with Ms. Donfort?” she asked.

“She’s here beside me, you’re call is on speaker.” Alan mentioned as he looks at me, expectant.

“Good. Hello Ms. Donfort.”

“Hannah, please.” I said.

“Hannah.” She mentioned, noting my request. “In twenty-four hours, I want you to meet me by the waiting shed just outside of Duskwood. We’re going to retrace your account of events on that day. Is that alright with you?”

This is good. Finally, a trained eye that can help us find the truth. “Yes, I’m fine with it.” I replied.

“We need to do this very discreetly since we don’t know who to trust yet. You will tell nobody of our meeting, before or even after. Do you understand?” she said firmly.

I smiled at Alan, feeling hopeful at the turn of this conversation. “Yes, I do.” I said to Agent Closs, eager for her arrival. I asked Alan to put her number on my phone so I can contact her tomorrow.

************

Hannah met me at the mile marker outside of Duskwood, just as I instructed. I noticed her car slow down as it approach the shed.

The car window on my side rolled down. “Agent Closs?” she asked, unsure.

I nodded then opened the car door and sat quietly on the passenger seat.

We parked at her house and walked briskly into the woods. We reached the area she called the junkyard, but we didn’t pass by it, instead I led her to a nearby stream where we could follow a trail going to the woods without being noticed.

Hannah was quiet as she followed me. “Alan went missing last night. I heard it from my friend whose father is the former chief of police of Duskwood. I’m very concerned.”

“You don’t have to worry about him, Hannah. I cannot tell you anything else, but I guarantee you, he’s safe.”

Alan called us again last night, saying that he found new information that might be relevant. He said it was given to him by someone who was formerly involved in this project called RAVEN. We told him to keep the information safe and we discreetly took him outside of Duskwood for his safety.

“Alan mentioned something related to me about Blackwater Lake. Is it familiar to you?” I asked as we walk through the woods.

Hannah shook her head, clueless. “I’m not sure how it all relates to Jennifer, but we can take a look at it.”

We went to Blackwater Lake as requested, and I asked Hannah to take pictures of important landmarks, like the bridge, the old building by the lake, and the small cave we found near the mouth of the lake.

“Can you take pictures of me, too?” Hannah asked, handing me her phone.

My face turned stern. “Maybe you don’t realize the gravity of this situation.”

She smiled sheepishly, returning her phone into her pocket. “I’m sorry, but since I’ve experienced memory loss, I feel like it’s more proper to take more pictures so I can remember them.”

I was about to say something when the fog around the lake suddenly thickened.

“Now this is unusual.” I said, looking around the area. I was alarmed by the sound of Hannah’s screams.

“IT’S HIM!” she shouted as he pointed to the shadow coming towards us. I squinted through the thick fog, trying to get a better look on the person.

Its face was covered by some kind of mask, and then it dawned on me – that there must be something mixed in the air that releases chemicals that alters your brain.

I took Hannah’s hand, urging her to run. The fog must also contain something that will make you nauseous, because I feel my head getting heavier and heavier as we run away. In our haste, Hannah’s hand slipped my grasp and I fell from a low ravine.

When I woke up, I’m already at a hospital, Emma sitting at my bedside. She breathed a sigh of relief, calling a nurse to tell them that I’m awake.

The nurse went to my room immediately. “Miss Closs, the doctor is on his way. How are you feeling?” he asked.

I stared into a wall, trying to remember anything but nothing comes to mind. I shook my head as I turned to the nurse.

“What happened to me?”


	24. The End of Project RAVEN

I thought that the idea of “bad things getting worse” only happens in movies. This one seems to fit that category.

In my haste to find the electrical room, I ended up on this office which caught my attention due to the monitors and electrical panels that filled it. As I look in the screen, I recognized three places, all of which are in Duskwood: outside Blackwater Lake, the part of the woods near the sign of the raven, and the marketplace. It looks like Dr. Barret is doing surveillance of certain areas.

Another monitor shows some kind of program for Project RAVEN. Apparently, the mechanism of aerosol dispersal works on a schedule, and it looks like I don’t have much time left.

**STATUS : FULL RELEASE**

**TIME LEFT : 9 MINUTES 28 SECONDS**

I’ve never felt such sense of impending doom - not even when I was being hunted by the government. Unless I stop this timebomb, the whole of Duskwood would be engulfed in a chemically infused fog that will wipe their memories.

I sat on the chair and put my hands on my head as I think of what to do next. Will shutting down the whole system stop this timer? Sitting up straight, I opened the computer’s command prompt to see the contents of the whole program. As expected, the system has a fail-safe feature, which ensures that the aerosol will be released once enough pressure on the pipes have been lessened.

I ran up to the electrical panels on the wall, staring at it. On its side is a red handle which shuts down all the current going into the main breaker. I gripped the handle and pushed it down, turning the whole floor into darkness.

I held out my hands in the dark, feeling for the computer and carelessly pulling out all the wires. I heard footsteps running into my direction, and I ran out of the door, my hands touching the wall to guide my steps.

As I reach the room where Maddie’s being held, I took my phone and opened the flashlight app. I noticed Lilly’s message, telling me that they got Hannah and that they’re going to the hospital.

One worry down.

************

When I came to, I felt so nauseous I vomited on the floor at Dr. Barret’s side. It may seem like a petty thing to do, but given the circumstances, it’s the least I can do for my revenge. I breathed heavily, my head and heart pounding. They might as well be screaming to get out as I was being electrocuted.

On the other hand, I tried replaying the memories that came to my mind. Was it all real? Did I really meet with Hannah? Do I really work for the federal police? Or is it just a scenario that my brain conjured given Dr. Barret’s suggestion? In a literal sense, my mind could be playing tricks on me.

My eyes are still closed, but I felt everything around me go dark. The lights were gone, and the humming sound of the equipment vanished. I can faintly hear Dr. Barret shouting, which also faded after a while. Something tugged on my hands and it suddenly felt free.

“Maddie, can you hear me?” A voice, low and soft said. I felt warm hands cup my cheek, patting me awake. “Madeleine!” it shouted more urgently as I feel myself getting shaken.

I opened my eyes slowly, seeing Jake’s worried face illuminated by the flashlight on his phone. “Please don’t shout.” I said weakly, my voice hoarse and dry.

I can feel him chuckle in relief as he pulled me into him, kissing the top of my head. “We need to go, now.” He whispered, propping me up the bed. I winced as he removed the IV drip from my arm and the electrodes hanging from my head. “Can you walk?”

I blinked slowly, trying to gather my bearings before nodding.

“Hannah – have you found her?” I asked as I set one foot on the floor, putting a hand on the bed for support while Jake put an arm around my waist.

“Yes, Lilly told me they got her out. We have to get out of here, too. Dr. Barret will release the gas in minutes.” Jake said, holding my hand tight as he led me out of the room.

Before we reach the end of the corridor I stopped, tugging my hand back. “We can’t just leave. We need to do something about that gas.”

“I was afraid you’re going to say that.” Jake said, taking my hand again and turning to the other direction. We kept walking briskly until we reached some kind of an electrical room. “I shut down the electricity, but the system has a fail-safe feature that will release the gas once enough pressure has been reached. Do you have any ideas?”

I hung my head, thinking of possible solutions. I remembered the tunnel going out to Blackwater Lake. I took the phone light from his hand and flashed it on the electrical panels.

“I need to turn the electricity back on. There’s another panel in here that will reverse the flow of the gas.” I said, pointing at the panel next to it.

“But that would suck in water, too,” Jake commented.

“Yes. If we reverse the flow and the water can dampen the air, the gas might not be that dangerous.” I said, looking back at him. “It’s the only thing we can do.”

“Dampen the air – how? Like an explosion?” he asked as he walk to my direction, thinking of the consequences of that plan.

“Trust me, Jake.” I said as I turn the current back on and pushed the other handle down to reverse the air flow into the basement.

We ran out of the electrical room, hearing the pipes in the basement vibrate in protest with the pressure flowing back into it. Water also started pouring into the basement.

As we step inside the elevator, a loud bang of fired gun rang through the corridors.

********

Dr. Barret panicked after the lights went out. Taking out my phone and opening the flashlight, I followed him as he ran to the tunnel going to Blackwater Lake, leaving Maddie on the bed. We found Richy unconscious, his body leaning on the wall.

I ran to his side, inspecting the bruises and cuts on his face. He seemed to be struck by something at the back of his head, the dried blood matting his neck. As I touch his face, he regained consciousness, wincing in pain.

“What happened, Richy?” Dr. Barret asked, frantic.

“The others were here.” Richy said, inclining his head at Dr. Barret, then to me. “They got Hannah, Jessy.”

When he said that, warmth seemed to leave my body, replaced by the cold rush of lake water getting inside the tunnel and the feeling that this is the end. The lights went back on, but air and water started pouring into the tunnel. Dr. Barret didn’t seem to notice this, his anger rising.

“We should’ve killed Hannah a long time ago! I told you so!” Dr. Barret shouted at me.

I’ve had enough of his bullshit. “Like you did Iris? Do you know how much trouble it was just hauling her body into the woods, like you asked us to do? We never agreed on killing anybody!” I shouted at him. “This was all just about perfecting that medicine, not killing to make it. That’s why Hannah must not be found in the first place!”

Dr. Barret sounded frustrated. “And that was all you had to do!” he yelled, wielding a gun from his lab coat.

Richy is exhausted and beaten, but his awareness seemed to spike up upon seeing the weapon. Slowly he moved in front of me, his body shielding mine. “What are you doing with a gun in a laboratory like this?” he asked, his voice slightly quivering.

“I hate it when things don’t happen according to plan, especially when it’s caused by incompetence of other people.” Dr. Barret said, pointing his gun at us and firing once.

I can feel Richy’s blood flowing from his shoulder. “Richy!” I shouted, putting pressure on the wound. The bullet seemed to hit at the junction of his torso and armpit. Any closer and it might hit a major artery and cause so much blood loss.

“Fire that gun again and it might bounce off the tunnel and hit you next.” A voice from the corridor said.

It was Maddie.

************

“Meet me at the entrance of the tunnel at the mouth of the lake.” I told Jake as I get out of the elevator.

“No! Didn’t you hear that? They’re firing a gun in there.” Jake protested.

“Just go, Jake. My life depends on it.” I said as I ran back to the corridor going to the tunnel.

When I reached the corridor, I heard Jessy shouting Richy’s name. Dr. Barret must’ve fired the gun.

“Fire that gun again and it might bounce off the tunnel and hit you next. You need to stop this now, Dr. Barret.” I said, showing myself before he could fire again at Jessy.

Jessy looked at me, her features changing from the horror of seeing Richy get shot to slight relief that somebody else is at her aide. Richy’s blood seemed to flow nonstop, and if we do not get him to a hospital he will bleed to death.

Dr. Barret turned around to face me, pointing the gun to my face. “What would you know about this?! You’re just like everyone else – you don’t realize the benefit of this work!” he shouted.

I tried to look calm, seeing Jake’s silhouette coming from the mouth of the tunnel. “It's not your place to toy with other people’s memories and feelings. Our pain and anguish are what makes us human, Dr. Barret. It’s part of who we are – so you should just leave it alone.”

“I’m not finished, yet!” He said, firing again. Jake tackled him from behind, the shot missing me and hitting the wall instead as he held Dr. Barret’s arm upwards.

I ran to help Jake as we take control of the gun, jabbing a hand at Dr. Barret’s throat, kicking him in the shin and shoving his face on my knee as hard as I can.

I winced in pain as I knock him out. I don’t understand how I know how to do that; it just did – maybe it was my former self, and it was muscle memory working.

“That hurts like hell!” I yelled, putting a hand on my knee and kicking Dr. Barret in the face for good measure. I grabbed the gun from the floor, noticing the water rising up to our knees. I took out the bullets and the magazine, throwing them away.

I looked to my right and saw Richy, his breathing labored. We hauled Richy out of the tunnel and into safety. A moment passed and the pipes inside the building started to burst, crumbling the old building into boulders. The gas must have been neutralized, because I don’t feel nauseous like the first time I went here with Hannah.

“Keep pressure on that wound.” I told Jessy as I check for Richy’s temperature. His sweat is cold and clammy. “Try to stay calm Richy, once you hyperventilate, you’ll lose more oxygen.”

His chuckle turned to a pained smirk, saying “If I survive this, remind me not to piss you off, alright?”

I smiled in return. He’s always like that – turning even the direst of situations into a joke.

“You came for us.” Jessy said, tears starting to pour from her cheeks. “Even after all that we’ve done to you.”

I touched her by the shoulders, trying to comfort her. It really is a complicated situation, but after all of that, Jessy helped me get my memories back, though some of it were still blurry.

“I never leave my friends behind, no matter how shitty it gets.” I jested, looking at both of them.

We all looked up as we heard the ambulance siren come on the clearing, the EMTs running with their medical bags. They started putting Richy into a stretcher, Jessy following him close by.

Richy took my hand before they put the mask on to help him breathe. He looked up to me, asking, “One for all?”

Jessy started crying again. I guess they’ve never felt such trust bestowed upon them. On my part, it showed that not everyone is inherently evil – and that we can always change, no matter how bad our choices in the past were.

With my other hand I patted his hand on mine, replying, “And all for one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking at my timeline of events and it turns out that I may have one chapter left 🥺 I hope I have answered most of the questions we have in the game, and more.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and I'd love to hear from you! ❤️❤️❤️


	25. Light and Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'VE COME TO THE END! After two months, I've finished my first fanfiction! How cool is that!😎
> 
> Thank you very much to everyone who patiently waited for this story and read it with interest and the same wonder that I had while writing it. Thank you for solving the puzzles with me and for your heartwarming comments. If I ever write a story again, I'll go back to your comments to remind me of my beginnings.
> 
> I hope that this chapter answers all the questions in your mind, and I hope I have given justice to all of our beloved characters.
> 
> Again, thank you very much for reading this story and I hope you'll enjoy it!

They brought me to the hospital after the encounter with Richy. I cried and cried, wondering why and how two of my oldest and closest friends and my doctor could do this to me. I also worried that Dr. Barret and his contacts with the police force, whoever they maybe, might still hunt us now that I’m back.

My mother and father rush to my side as they heard the news, my mother crying in relief and exhaustion. My father also looked teary-eyed, holding my hand tight as they bring me to the trauma room to assess for injuries. Thomas, Lilly, Dan and Cleo were also there, but the doctors wanted me to have some rest first and he wanted to check on them, too.

Once I was safe inside my hospital room, a woman who looks like my age, dressed in black pants and coat came in. My stomach pitted to knots, anxious of her identity. She must’ve seen the fear on my face, so she held up a badge from her pocket and flashed the patch on the side of her coat.

“It’s alright, Ms. Donfort, you don’t need to fear me.” She mentioned slowly, standing near the door. “I’m Agent Richter, BKA. You might have heard of me before from Alan.”

I almost forgot about him. “Alan – Have you found him? Is he alive?”

Agent Richter came up to my bed side as she said, “He’s in our custody Ms. Donfort. Alan gave us vital information about Project RAVEN and considering the circumstances revolving around it, we thought it best to make him disappear for the time being. But he’s safe, and I’m sure you’ll be able to see him again once we’ve sorted all of this out.”

“For now, I would like to ask you to tell us what happened on before and after your disappearance. If you can give us even the smallest details that would be very helpful, but don’t be pressured to remember it all. We just wanted to get the full picture.”

I nodded in agreement, taking a sip of water from the rolling tray table.

“Two weeks before I disappeared, I was driving on my way home from Blackwater Lake when my car hit a pothole. I accidentally hit my head on the headrest, then I started remembering bits of what happened on the day Jennifer died and then there’s another woman –” I said, looking at her, “She wears clothes like you do. I remember her coming with me to the woods, taking pictures of landmarks.”

“After I’ve calmed down from the flashbacks, I took my car to the junkyard –” I paused, remembering Richy and Jessy. “I asked Richy to check on my car since I might’ve damaged it. Jessy has a nursing degree and she asked if she should check on me since I hit my head. I told her I’m fine, but she insisted on walking home with me.

We decided to eat first at Rainbow Café, but on our way there, Jessy stopped at a pawnshop, admiring the emerald bracelet displayed out front. I looked at it and I started remembering again – that bracelet was the same one that Jennifer was holding when we found her on the woods. I bought it from the pawnshop and told Jessy I have to hurry home.

When I got home, Thomas was there waiting for me. I can’t seem to get the flashback out of my head, and I wasn’t listening to what he was saying. We had an argument, and he left his keys of the apartment. I let him leave because I cannot explain to him yet what was happening to me, because even I cannot understand it. I looked at the bracelet and there were initials written on it – J.H. I immediately thought of Jessy, but I realized she wasn’t even on Duskwood when it all happened. She and her siblings came here weeks after Jennifer was found in the forest. Then I realized that J.H. might be someone else – her grandmother, Julia Hawkins.

Julia once worked with my father. I wasn’t born yet when they worked together, but I remember stories from my mother. They said they had to stop their work because a woman named Anna Schmidt died. I thought there must be a connection.”

Agent Richter interjected, “Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence.”

“Yes, I thought so.” I continued, taking a deep breath. “On the morning before I disappeared, Richy called me to say that my car is ready for pick-up. After that call I went to his garage to get my car. I noticed that Jessy was not around, and he told me that she has gone to Paris and was off work that day. Richy asked if I have plans, and I told him I’m meeting with an old friend. I left the garage after that. I was really suspicious of Jessy at that time, and I thought that would be a good opportunity to take a look around. That’s when Alan called me.”

“Alan called you? That’s breach of protocol.” Agent Richter remarked, noting what I said.

“I hope that doesn’t get him in trouble. It was a quick call. He just wanted to check up on me and told me he left me something at the Aurora and that I should ask Phil about it.” I explained.

She smiled at me. “Of course not, I was just kidding.”

I continued with my story. “I called Phil after that, asking if Alan indeed left something for me at the Aurora. He told me to go to the bar, but I can’t find the time yet, and that I’ll meet him the following day. I stopped by the pharmacy to buy SSRI –”

“That’s the drug prescribed by Dr. Barret, correct?” she said as she took notes.

“Yes, that’s it.”

“Sorry, please continue.”

“As I was saying, I was buying SSRI. The pharmacy has glass panels and when I looked out, I saw Jessy in front of Rainbow Café, wearing a black shirt with a raven drawn at the front. I must’ve been hallucinating – I don’t know, but I just felt a sense of dread. Richy said she was out of town, but I saw her, and she looked back at me, smirking. I ran out of the pharmacy and into my car.

As I was driving, Thomas called me. He apologized for the argument we had two weeks before and I accepted it. I told him it wasn’t his fault and that he had to be patient. I told him we’ll talk after I sorted some things out.

I planned to go to Blackwater Lake to inspect the pictures I had on my phone. As I was driving, I called Iris, asking her if she can come over and go with me to the woods. We had a long talk over the phone. I told her what Alan and I found out, and that I’ve been having memories of Agent Closs and the pictures. She agreed to meet me.

I parked my car at the motel, because I thought the picture of Blackwater Lake I got was nearer the motel than it was with the Gate of Hope. I even smiled at Alfie as I got out of my car. That’s when I called Jake.”

“Jake? He’s not on this call log.” Agent Richter mentioned, looking at her file.

I hesitated before I answered. “He’s a friend of mine. He’s a bit of a techie, and I thought he could help me find Agent Closs. We talked over video call, and I was asking how he was and all the other niceties. But as I was about to tell him about Agent Closs, someone clobbered me on the head, and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was already in the room at the basement.”

“That’s the old building by the lake.” Agent Richter confirmed.

“I didn’t know how long I was out when I woke up, but I saw my phone at my bed side table. I took it and was about to send Agent Closs’ number to Jake, but he must’ve already removed our conversations. I accidentally sent it to Thomas.”

“One last question, where is that video on your cloud from? The one where someone’s knocking on the door?” she asked.

“Oh, it was one of the rooms at the motel. My sister was once a receptionist there. I found out that she’s in a relationship with my friend, Dan.”

She nodded, writing the last of her notes and closing her notebook. “Okay, that’s it. Do you have questions for me?”

I hesitated before inquiring. “Can you tell me what this is all about? What’s Project RAVEN?” I asked her, confused.

Agent Richter sit up on my bed before saying, “Project RAVEN is a human experiment that uses people with emerald-colored eyes to observe memory functions and create a serum that will erase traumatic memories. In their briefer, it was theorized that people with emerald-colored eyes are more capable of overcoming traumatic memories. The project intended to study this behavior and find out what causes this anomaly and create a serum to be tested on patients with traumatic experience. Anna Schmidt tried to expose this experiment, but she was killed, apparently by Dr. Julia Hawkins. Before Ms. Schmidt died, she kept a message for Alan in her engagement gift for him –

“They were engaged – Alan and this Anna Schmidt?”

“They were supposed to be, but she died on the night they were supposed to announce it.” Agent Richter continued. “Ms. Schmidt gave Alan a map of Duskwood with raven drawings in it. Upon searching, we found out that these places are tunnels where the experimental serum will be released to the people going into the woods. That is where you and Iris were found on the day Jennifer died. The tunnel located in the marketplace was reduced to a pipe, however.”

At least now, everything is clearer – I was an unwilling participant of a failed experiment. “Did Iris contact you? Was she here? I wasn’t able to meet her that day.”

Agent Richter’s face looked sad when I mentioned her name. “I’m very sorry to tell you this, Hannah, but Iris’ body was found in the forest the day after you sent the number to Thomas. She had a puncture wound to the neck. Forensics is still working to find out what drug killed her, but we suspect it was the same one that killed Anna and Jennifer before. No one can identify her since it has been years since she was in Duskwood, and she had no identification on her when her body was found.”

My face turned into a grimace and tears came pouring down my cheeks. Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern. A pattern of death. “It’s my fault.” I said as realization dawned on me.

“No, it’s not your fault, Hannah. Don’t berate yourself over it.” Agent Richter told me.

Another agent came to the room, calling her attention. “Agent Closs was found at the lake. Let’s go.”

Agent Richter nodded in agreement and turned her attention back to me. “It’s going to be all right, Hannah. Our pains are what makes us stronger. Lean on your loved ones for comfort.” She said, squeezing my hand tight before she left for Blackwater Lake.

When they were gone, I sobbed uncontrollably, regretting that I called Iris that day.

************

Jake draped a shock blanket over my shoulders as the ambulance took Jessy and Richy to the hospital. I leaned into him for comfort, sitting with him by the lakeshore.

Police siren rang through the clearing and I held Jake’s hand, afraid that the police might take him away. A man got out of the car, dressed in black pants and coat with the patch of BKA written on it.

“Agent Closs, we’re very glad to see you.” He said, gesturing a salute. I reflexively returned the salute to him.

Jake eyed me in confusion. “You’re federal police?”

I shrugged, holding his hand tighter. “Apparently. But I can’t remember anything, until Dr. Barret put those electrodes on my head. I still haven’t completely regained my memories, just bits and pieces.”

“So that’s where you learned how to incapacitate a person!” Jake exclaimed and I grinned sheepishly. That trait saved us a great deal today.

We were interrupted when a high-pitched voice called my name. “Madeleine!” Emma said, hugging me tight.

I broke our hug, eyeing her clothes. She’s wearing the same clothes that the man earlier is wearing. “Wait – are you federal police, too?” I asked.

The agent earlier came back, calling her attention. “Agent Richter, we found the suspect floating at the lake. He’s alive, but he seemed badly beaten.” Emma nodded at him and returned her attention back to us, smiling.

“AGENT RICHTER??” Jake and I said at the same time, confused.

“Wait, you know her?” I asked Jake.

“Wait, you know me?” Emma asked Jake.

Jake shook his head in disbelief. “You’re my contact at the BKA. You’re the one who gave me the tracker. I modified it and gave it to Maddie to track her whereabouts.” He explained.

“Is that how you found us?” I asked Emma.

“Yes. That tracker is accurate up to ten meters, but it is a bit faulty at closed establishments, like old basements.” Emma explained. He then turned to Jake, “You’re hacker boy? And you’re also Nym-0s? And you’re also Jake?”

Jake nodded. “This is too big of a coincidence.”

“Wait, how do you two know each other?” I asked them both, confused.

Emma explained. “We’ve been in contact with Alan about Project RAVEN two years ago. The cybercrime division hired the services of Nym-0s to infiltrate some government institutions, particularly that of Duskwood. Nym-0s here once successfully hacked into the division’s system. We decided to keep him on a consultancy basis. He went off radar for a time. When the tracker’s signal opened up again, it was located in Duskwood. We’ve been trying to find you!” She pointed at him, “but our system keeps on getting flooded with these hashtags. It’s a real pain in the ass.”

“That’s her sister’s doing.” I mentioned. “Clever, huh?”

“So that was you? I thought I was being hunted by the government again. You used a different signature, that’s why I didn’t recognize it.” Jake responded.

Emma looked back at me. “Are you alright now? Do you remember everything?”

“You owe me a lot of explanation, Emma. But for now, all I really need is food and sleep.” I joked as we walk back to her car. “Have you seen Hannah? How is she?”

Emma’s lip slumped on one side, shaking her head in pity. “It was already hard for her to accept all of this, but she must know – we found out who the body in the woods is. It’s her friend, Iris.”

“Jennifer’s sister?” I asked, to which Emma nodded. Jake and I exchanged a sad look. “Maybe you should visit her.” I said to him.

“Give her a little more time. She needs her family and friends right now.” Jake said, looking into the distance.

********

A week after Dr. Barret’s arrest, Jake and I visited Hannah in the hospital. She’s still being kept in there for observation, considering the trauma that she’s been through.

Thomas, Cleo, Dan, and Lilly were also there when we came in. Dan was telling them the story of him breaking into the Duskwood police’s computer.

Hannah recognized me right away, but not Jake. I looked at him and pulled him closer to her bed. They were both silent, just glancing at each other.

Dan grumbled impatiently. “UGH! I can’t take this anymore. Hannah, that’s your older half – brother, the hacker, Jake.”

Hannah looked surprised, but not that much. Lilly must’ve already told her the truth. She held out her hand in greeting. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jake.” She said, smiling.

Jake returned her smile, shaking her hand back. “Likewise, Hannah.”

Hannah looked back at me, taking my hand in hers. “I can’t tell you how much I’m grateful to both of you. Lilly told me what both of you have done just to find me. I’m glad I trusted the right persons.” I smiled, tears threatening to form in my eyes.

“Maddie did most of the work, to be honest. I was busy running away from the ‘government’.” Said Jake, smirking at me.

Hannah noticed the look we gave each other. “First-name basis now, huh?”

Dan interrupted our conversation. ‘They were banging while they were looking for you.”

I looked at Dan, aghast. “You need to shut up, Dan.”

Jake looked smug, telling Dan, “I don’t think you know this, but Maddie single-handedly knocked Dr. Barret out cold. I don’t know how good your chances are with her if you make her angry.”

That seemed to lift their spirits, laughing at Dan.

Hannah turned to Cleo, asking “Cleo, how’s your visit to Richy and Jessy, are they well?”

I heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that. It meant that Hannah has forgiven the both of them, even after all that has happened.

Lilly told us that Richy only did as Dr. Barret instructed in order to protect Jessy from him. Both of them pleaded guilty to the charges of being accessory to the crime, but their sentences were reduced significantly under the defense of psychological manipulation by Dr. Barret. Engr. Donfort and Paul Rogers were also tried for the murder of Anna Schmidt and conducting illegal experiments, but their trial is still on-going.

Cleo and the others visit Richy and Jessy once in a while. At first, I thought they weren’t as close-knit as they pretend to be when I first met them, but now, I realized that they really do. They protect each other’s backs, call out their wrongdoings, and support them no matter how difficult the situation is.

After our visit with Hannah, we went to the cemetery outside of Duskwood to visit Jake’s mother’s tomb. Old Gray mentioned that they buried Anna there and Jake wished to see his mother’s grave for the first time.

When we reached the grave, a man was standing in front of it, placing flowers at the headstone. He saw both of us approach, smiling as we walk towards him.

“I’d recognize those eyes anywhere. You have your mother’s eyes, Jake.” He said, holding out a hand in greeting. “I’m Alan Millan.”

Jake took his hand and shook it, pulling Alan closer to him in an embrace. Both men had tears forming in their eyes, wiping them casually and sniffing.

Alan grinned, staring at Anna’s headstone. “Your mother would be embarrassed to see both of us like this.” Jake also let out a laugh, nodding in agreement.

Alan noticed my presence and also held a hand in greeting. “We meet at last, Agent Closs.”

“Maddie, please. I’m not really working right now.” I mentioned, shaking his hand back.

He then looked back at Jake, clapping him at the back. “But your mother will like your choice in women. I always told her you’ll need my assistance once you grew older, but it seems you’re doing very well on your own.”

I smiled shyly, still not used to being the center of attention. Jake held my hand tighter before he replied. “Yes, I think my mother will like you very much.”

The Duskwood Forest seemed more peaceful now, so far away from the gloom and dread that it once was.

_" **Every human being is a mixture of light and darkness, trust and fear, love and hate."**_

_Jean Vanier_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of writing an epilogue, but I haven't really got into making an outline for it, yet. Just scenes that I'd love to see. What do you think? Maybe a little bit of fluff for our main characters? 😜 Let me know!
> 
> Have I told you how much I appreciate you reading my work? Well, I'm telling you again! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
> 
> All my love and I hope all of you stay safe and happy during the holidays.😘🥰


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